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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Nonequilibrium magnons from hot electrons in antiferromagnetic systems

Marion M. S. Barbeau1, Mikhail Titov2, Mikhail I. Katsnelson2, and Alireza Qaiumzadeh1

  • 1Center for Quantum Spintronics, Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
  • 2Radboud University, Institute for Molecules and Materials, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands

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Phys. Rev. Research 5, L022065 – Published 27 June, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.L022065

Abstract

We describe a nonthermal magnon activation mechanism in antiferromagnetic (AFM) systems via locally equilibrated spin-unpolarized hot electrons excited by an ultrafast intense laser pulse. We employ a quantum kinetic equation that takes into account a direct electron-magnon scattering channel in either bulk AFM metal or at the interface of the AFM/normal-metal heterostructure. The mechanism is responsible for the nonequilibrium population of AFM magnon modes on a subnanosecond timescale, which are formed shortly after quasithermalization of hot electrons by Coulomb interactions. Nonequilibrium magnon populations can be additionally manipulated by applying an external magnetic field. Our work paves the way toward spin dynamics control in AFM systems via the ultrafast manipulation of out-of-equilibrium magnon excitations.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Research 5, L022065– Published 27 June, 2023
  • Received 7 September 2022
  • Revised 19 December 2022
  • Accepted 15 June 2023
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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