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Ultrafast Mid Infrared Pump-Optical Kerr Probe of Correlated Mott-Hubbard Antiferromagnets

ORAL

Abstract

We utilize intense ultrafast mid-infrared (mid-IR) circularly polarized pump pulses to preferentially excite spin degrees of freedom through coherent two-magnon excitation as measured via the magneto-optic Kerr effect using 800 nm pulses. Our previous results [1] on the spin-orbit coupled Mott-Hubbard insulator (MHI) Sr2IrO4 indicate that magnon generation using mid-IR pulses is nearly an order of magnitude more efficient in comparison to above gap doublon generation. To clarify the potential of mid-IR pulses for coherent magnon generation, we are investigating the canonical MHI nickel oxide which serves as a well characterized material for comparison with theoretical predictions [2]. This presentation will provide an update on these experiments with a view towards mode-selective spin excitation in quantum materials.
[1] Gu-Feng Zhang, Xiang Chen, Urban F.P. Seifert, Jingdi Zhang, Kevin Cremin, Leon Balents, Stephen D. Wilson and Richard D. Averitt. “Ultrafast magnetic control in a spin-orbit coupled iridate.” Manuscript in Preparation.
[2] Seifert, Urban FP, and Leon Balents. "Optical excitation of magnons in an easy-plane antiferromagnet: Application to Sr 2 IrO 4." Physical Review B 100, no. 12 (2019): 125161.

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Presenters

  • Mustafa G Ali

    Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego

Authors

  • Mustafa G Ali

    Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego

  • Kelson Kaj

    University of California San Diego, Physics, University of California San Diego, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, University of California, San Diego

  • Varun Ramaprasad

    Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego

  • Gufeng Zhang

    Physics, University of California San Diego, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego

  • Xiang Chen

    Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Urban F. P. Seifert

    Institut fur Theoretische Physik, Technische Universitat Dresden

  • Jingdi Zhang

    Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego

  • Kevin A Cremin

    Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, University of California, San Diego

  • Leon Balents

    Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Stephen D. Wilson

    Materials Department, UC Santa Barbara, Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5050, USA, Materials, University of Santa Barbara, Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Richard Averitt

    University of California, San Diego, University of California San Diego, UC San Diego, Physics, University of California San Diego, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, University of California