Using the crystalline lattice to manipulate magnetic ordering represents an intriguing direction of future research, particularly when attempting to modify the rather robust magnetization of an antiferromagnet (AFM). Here, we study how magnetization can be all-optically rotated in the canted AFM iron borate, utilizing mid- to far-infrared ultrashort light pulses. We discover that this excitation gives rise to a peculiar pattern of metastable magnetic domains with a tunable symmetry, which can be qualitatively understood by considering how light-induced radial strain interacts with the Néel vector. Our results reveal how optically induced strain can be used to spatially modify the magnetic order parameter of an AFM, which could have important applications in future AFM-based data-storage technologies.

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• Antiferromagnets
• Noncollinear magnets
• Magneto-optical Kerr effect
• Photoexcitation