Ultrafast spin-nematic and ferroelectric phase transitions induced by femto-second light pulses

Abstract

Optically-induced phase transitions of the manganite $\mathrm{P}{\mathrm{r}}_{1/3}\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{a}}_{2/3}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ have been simulated using a model Hamiltonian, that captures the dynamics of strongly correlated charge, orbital, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom. Its parameters have been extracted from first-principles calculations. Beyond a critical intensity of a femto-second light pulse, the material undergoes ultra-fast and non-thermal magnetic phase transition from a non-collinear to collinear antiferromagnetic phases. The light-pulse excites selectively either a spin-nematic or a ferroelectric phase depending on the light-polarization. The behavior can be traced to an optically induced ferromagnetic coupling between Mn-trimers, i.e. polarons which are delocalized over three Mn-sites. The polarization guides the polymerization of the polaronic crystal into distinct patterns of ferromagnetic chains determining the target phase.

arXiv comment6 pages, 4 figures

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