Magnetization switching in small samples caused by the interaction of conducting electrons and electromagnetic radiation

We propose a new mechanism of magnetization switching in magnetic nanosize samples originating from the interaction of incident circularly polarized electromagnetic wave with the electrons. Our mechanism is based on electrostatic interaction and spin–orbit interaction of the electrons and electrical field of the incident wave. The performed estimation shows that a realistic magnitude of laser electromagnetic wave is enough to induce magnetization switching. The dependence of this phenomenon on the frequency of the radiation and the parameters of electron band structure is analyzed.