Controlling coherent and incoherent spin dynamics by steering the photoinduced energy flow

We present a femtosecond spectroscopic magneto-optical investigation of the coherent and incoherent spin dynamics in the antiferromagnetic dielectric KNiF3. The pathways of the photoinduced energy flow to spins were controlled by tuning the pump photon energy. In particular, we demonstrate that laser pulses, with photon energy tuned to a nearly-zero-absorption region, excite the spin system without any signatures of heating of electrons or phonons. In this regime the ultrafast excitation of coherent spin waves is followed by a gradual increase of the spin temperature solely due to decoherence of the laser-generated magnons, as revealed by our simultaneous measurement of both the transversal and the longitudinal component of the spin dynamics.