Hot spin spots in the laser-induced demagnetization

Laser-induced femtosecond magnetism or femtomagnetism simultaneously relies on two distinctive contributions: (a) the optical dipole interaction (ODI) between a laser field and a magnetic system and (b) the spin expectation value change (SEC) between two transition states. Surprisingly, up to now, no study has taken both contributions into account simultaneously. Here we do so by introducing a new concept of the optical spin generator, a product of SEC and ODI between transition states. In ferromagnetic nickel, our first-principles calculation demonstrates that the larger the value of optical spin generator is, the larger the dynamic spin moment change is. This simple generator directly links the time-dependent spin moment change Delta M-z(k)(t) at every crystal-momentum k point to its intrinsic electronic structure and magnetic properties. Those hot spin spots are a direct manifestation of the optical spin generator, and should be the focus of future research. Copyright 2012 Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3693402]