Published July 2009 | Version v1
Journal article

Ultrafast magnetization dynamics in diluted magnetic semiconductors

  • 1. INRIA Nancy Grand-Est and Institut de Recherche en Mathematiques Avancees, 7 rue Rene Descartes, F-67084 Strasbourg (France)
  • 2. Institut de Physique et Chimie des Materiaux de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, F-67037 Strasbourg (France)

Description

We present a dynamical model that successfully explains the observed time evolution of the magnetization in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum wells after weak laser excitation. Based on the pseudo-fermion formalism and a second-order many-particle expansion of the exact p-d exchange interaction, our approach goes beyond the usual mean-field approximation. It includes both the sub-picosecond demagnetization dynamics and the slower relaxation processes that restore the initial ferromagnetic order in a nanosecond timescale. In agreement with experimental results, our numerical simulations show that, depending on the value of the initial lattice temperature, a subsequent enhancement of the total magnetization may be observed within the timescale of a few hundred picoseconds.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/11/7/073010

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
New Journal of Physics
Journal Volume
11
Journal Issue
7
Journal Page Range
[12 p.]
ISSN
1367-2630