XUV-MCD Spectroscopy and Optical Control of Magnetic Moments in Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) Interfaces

Understanding the ultrafast dynamics of charge/spin transitions in magnetic insulators (MI) is crucial for developing new materials interfaces for spin-electronics and quantum information science applications.

• Developed ultrafast X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XUV) combined with optical pumping, enabling the study of charge and spin dynamics at MI interfaces with femtosecond time resolution.
• XUV, coupled with magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) measurements, has revealed site-specific (octahedral vs. tetrahedral) charge distribution and spin configuration in YIG.
• Following optical excitation, XUV-MCD captures the intricacies of how the charge and spin states change at ultrafast timescales, laying the groundwork for understanding charge/spin dynamics at the YIG/metal interface.
• This work was published in Gajapathy et al., Chemical Science in January 2024.