Ultrafast cooling and heating scenarios for the laser induced phase transition in CuO

Abstract

The multiferroic compound CuO exhibits low temperature magnetic properties similar to antiferromagnetic iron oxides, while the electronic properties have much more in common with the high $T_c$ cuprate superconductors. This suggests novel possibilities for the ultrafast optical excitation of magnetism. On the basis on atomistic spin dynamics simulations, we study the effect of phonon-assisted multimagnon absorption and photodoping on the spin dynamics in the vicinity of the first-order phase transition from collinear to spin-spiral magnetic order. Similar as in recent experiments, we find that for both excitations the phase transition can proceed on the picosecond timescale. Interestingly, however, these excitation mechanisms display very distinct dynamics. Following photodoping, the spin system first cools down on sub-ps timescales, which we explain as an ultrafast magnetocaloric effect. Opposed to this, following phonon-assisted multimagnon excitation the spin systems rapidly heats up and subsequently evolves to the noncollinear phase even under the influence of isotropic exchange interactions alone.

13 pages, 11 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Nonlinear lattice dynamics as a basis for enhanced superconductivity in YBa2Cu3O6.5
• Quantitative simulation of temperature dependent magnetization dynamics and equilibrium properties of elemental ferromagnets
• Snapshots of the retarded interaction of charge carriers with ultrafast fluctuations in cuprates
• Mechanism of Ultrafast Relaxation of a Photo-Carrier in Antiferromagnetic Spin Background
• Ultrafast Quenching of the Exchange Interaction in a Mott Insulator
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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Dissecting spin-phonon equilibration in ferrimagnetic insulators by ultrafast lattice excitation
• General method for atomistic spin-lattice dynamics with first principles accuracy
• Manipulating magnetism by ultrafast control of the exchange interaction
• Laser-driven quantum magnonics and THz dynamics of the order parameter in antiferromagnets
• Coherent THz Spin Dynamics in Antiferromagnets Beyond the Approximation of the Néel vector
• Spin wave excitations of magnetic metalorganic materials