Magnetization switching by infrared irradiation

Abstract

Linear dichroism measurements are used to study a specimen of composition Y₃Fe_5-xSi_xO₁₂ with x=0.08. After cooling the specimen to 1.9 K in an applied saturating magnetic field directed along the (111) crystallographic direction, a spontaneous dichroism of 9.6% was observed using radiation of wavelength 1250 nm; the dichroic axis was along the field direction. Removal of the applied field caused little change in the dichroism. However by irradiating the specimen with plane polarized near infrared radiation whose E vector was along the (111) direction, the dichroic axis was caused to rotate and to lie along this direction. The authors interpret this to mean that the magnetization of the specimen was also switched between these axes. However the rotation of the magnetization did not occur coherently throughout the whole irradiated volume of the specimen.