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Journal of Applied Physics

Relation between magnetization and Faraday angles produced by ultrafast spin-flip processes within the three-level Λ-type system

Y. Hinschberger, J. P. Lavoine

Published Aug 5, 2015• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Ultrafast magneto-optical (MO) experiments constitute a powerful tool to explore the magnetization dynamics of diverse materials. Over the last decade, there have been many theoretical and experimental developments on this subject. However, the relation between the magnetization dynamics and the transient MO response still remains unclear. In this work, we calculate the magnetization of a material, as well as the magneto-optical rotation and ellipticity angles measured in a single-beam experiment. Then, we compare the magnetization to the MO response. The magnetic material is modeled by a three-level Λ-type system, which represents a simple model to describe MO effects induced by an ultrafast laser pulse. Our calculations use the density matrix formalism, while the dynamics of the system is obtained by solving the Lindblad equation taking into account population relaxation and dephasing processes. Furthermore, we consider the Faraday rotation of the optical waves that simultaneously causes spin-flip. We show that the Faraday angles remain proportional to the magnetization only if the system has reached the equilibrium-state, and that this proportionality is directly related to the population and coherence decay rates. For the non-equilibrium situation, the previous proportionality relation is no longer valid. We show that our model is able to interpret some recent experimental results obtained in a single-pulse experiment. We further show that, after a critical pulse duration, the decrease of the ellipticity as a function of the absorbed energy is a characteristic of the system.

DOI
10.1063/1.4927841

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Ultrafast magneto-optical (MO) experiments constitute a powerful tool to explore the magnetization dynamics of diverse materials. Over the last decade, there have been many theoretical and experimental developments on this subject. However, the relation between the magnetization dynamics and the transient MO response still remains unclear. In this work, we calculate the magnetization of a material, as well as the magneto-optical rotation and ellipticity angles measured in a single-beam experiment. Then, we compare the magnetization to the MO response. The magnetic material is modeled by a three-level Λ-type system, which represents a simple model to describe MO effects induced by an ultrafast laser pulse. Our calculations use the density matrix formalism, while the dynamics of the system is obtained by solving the Lindblad equation taking into account population relaxation and dephasing processes. Furthermore, we consider the Faraday rotation of the optical waves that simultaneously causes spin-flip. We show that the Faraday angles remain proportional to the magnetization only if the system has reached the equilibrium-state, and that this proportionality is directly related to the population and coherence decay rates. For the non-equilibrium situation, the previous proportionality relation is no longer valid. We show that our model is able to interpret some recent experimental results obtained in a single-pulse experiment. We further show that, after a critical pulse duration, the decrease of the ellipticity as a function of the absorbed energy is a characteristic of the system.
Magneto-optical (MO) effects, manifested as a complex rotation of light polarization under an external magnetic field, have found renewed and advanced applications in integrated photonics, intelligent sensing, ultrafast magnetic recording, and high-resolution magnetic imaging. Accurate measurement of both the rotation angle (the real part) and the ellipticity (the imaginary part) is essential for fundamental research and device applications. However, existing measurement schemes generally require separate measurements or distinct detection configurations and therefore cannot simultaneously retrieve both quantities in a single measurement. In this work, we propose a scheme based on weak measurement using dual-pointers, enabling the simultaneous measurement of the rotation angle and ellipticity within a single meter state. This method was theoretically and experimentally implemented to measure the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), the Faraday effect, and the Cotton-Mouton effect, demonstrating its broad applicability. This work contributes a characterization technique for the complex angle of MO effects, supporting potential applications across spintronics, quantum materials, and advanced optical sensing.
In this paper, we analyze the transient behavior of nonlinear magneto-optical rotation in a 87Rb vapor cell. Our focus is on optimizing the optical rotation signal by identifying influential factors. We investigate the impact of cell temperature on alkali atom density and consider characteristics of the light field, such as polarization direction, frequency, intensity, and beam diameter. Low scanning magnetic field rates produce the usual absorption signal, whereas high rates show an asymmetric transient response with oscillatory decay. To further investigate this phenomenon, we evaluate signal amplitude and resonant peaks along the x-, y-, and z-axis directions. Notably, we establish a one-dimensional quadratic equation that describes the relationship between magnetic field scan rate and signal amplitude/peak value. Our findings facilitate the quick evaluation of cell performance, provide insights into the dynamics of ground-state coherence generation, and have potential applications in detecting transient spin coupling or monitoring magnetic fields.
We develop a general theoretical framework for computing the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect in ultrafast pump-probe setups, formulated within the Dynamical Projective Operatorial Approach (DPOA) and its application to the generalized linear-response theory for pumped systems. Furthermore, we exploit this formalism to express the post-pump optical conductivity and consequently the Kerr rotation in terms of the time-evolved single-particle density matrix (SPDM), providing a transparent and computationally efficient description of photo-excited multi-band systems. This extension, in addition to its lower computational cost, has the advantage of allowing the inclusion of phenomenological damping. We illustrate the formalism using both (i) a two-band tight-binding model, which captures the essential physics of ultrafast spin-charge dynamics and the Kerr rotation, and (ii) weakly spin-polarized germanium, as a realistic playground with a complex band structure. The results demonstrate that, by exploiting DPOA and/or its SPDM extension, one can reliably reproduce both the short-time features under the pump-pulse envelope and the long-time dynamics after excitation, offering a versatile framework for analyzing time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect experiments in complex materials. Moreover, this analysis clearly shows that the Kerr rotation can be used to deduce experimentally the relevant n-photon resonances for a given specific material.
Magneto-optical (MO) effects, manifested as a complex rotation of light polarization under an external magnetic field, are widely utilized in optical isolators, sensors, data storage, and magnetic imaging. Accurate measurement of both the rotation angle (the real part) and the ellipticity (the imaginary part) is essential for fundamental research and device applications. However, existing measurement schemes generally cannot determine these two quantities simultaneously within a single experimental process. In this work, we propose a scheme based on weak measurement using two pointers, enabling the simultaneous measurement of the rotation angle and ellipticity within a single meter state. This method was experimentally implemented to measure the magneto-optical Kerr effect under various configurations—longitudinal, polar, and transverse. Moreover, the proposed approach is also applicable to the measurement of the Faraday effect and magnetic linear birefringence, demonstrating its broad applicability. This work contributes to the advancement of high-precision measurement techniques for MO effects and supports their wider application across multiple fields.
We propose a dynamical model for description of the nonlinear Faraday rotation experienced by a short pulse propagating in a resonant medium subject to an ultra-strong static magnetic field. Under the assumptions of a sufficiently strong external magnetic field, such that the Zeeman splitting of the quantum system energy levels is large compared to the linewidth of the optical transitions involved and the bandwidth of the incident light, the light effectively interacts with a two-level system. Our numerical simulations show that the Faraday effect under these conditions is significantly distinctive from the one caused by weak to moderately strong magnetic field. Nonlinear coherent effects such as inhomogeneous polarization rotation along the pulse duration and an onset of a circularly polarized stimulated emission and coherent ringing have been demonstrated. Some views on the experimental observation of the predicted phenomena are given.
Results of a fairly straightforward experiment on resonant magneto-optical rotation by rubidium-87 atoms revealed strong time-dependence of the polarization plane of light emerging from atomic vapors following a sudden irradiation with a laser beam. The rotation of the plane appears as a not direct consequence of the influence of the magnetic field on atoms. Reported measurements conducted using a vapor cell without any buffer gas or an anti-relaxation wall coating show that transmitted light has initially the same (linear) polarization as the incident one. Rotation of the polarization plane caused by an axial magnetic field develops in time scales similar to the pace of establishing the optical pumping/relaxation equilibrium in the atomic ensemble. The traditional passive Faraday rotation picture providing working description for the resonant magneto-optical effects in steady-state conditions does not explain the observed sequence of evolution of the polarization. The picture has to be augmented with analysis of time dependence in the spatial distribution of relevant quantum states within the atomic ensemble as well as longitudinal and transversal intensity profiles of the light beam. Isolation of external effects caused by the optical pumping and relaxation processes from consequences of internal atomic coherences should uncover more details of mechanisms of the latter in the presence of magnetic field. Plentitude of data available from time-dependent polarization measurements provides strong incentives for further development and tests of comprehensive models of coherent interactions of atomic ensembles with radiation and possibly a base for additional advance in understanding and applications of these phenomena.