The discovery of all-optical ultra-fast deterministic magnetization switching has opened up new possibilities for manipulating magnetization in devices using femtosecond laser pulses. Previous studies on single pulse all-optical helicity-independent switching (AO-HIS) have mainly focused on perpendicularly magnetized thin films. This work presents a comprehensive study on AO-HIS for in-plane magnetized GdxCo100-x thin films. Deterministic single femtosecond laser pulse toggle magnetization switching is demonstrated in a wider concentration range (x=10% to 25%) compared to the perpendicularly magnetized counterparts with GdCo thicknesses up to 30 nm. The switching time strongly depends on the GdxCo100-x concentration, with lower Gd concentration exhibiting shorter switching times (less than 500 fs). Our findings in this geometry provide insights into the underlying mechanisms governing single pulse AO-HIS, which challenge existing theoretical predictions. Moreover, in-plane magnetized GdxCo100-x thin films offer extended potential for opto-spintronic applications compared to their perpendicular magnetized counterparts.
@article{arxiv.2308.10516,
title = {Single laser pulse induced magnetization switching in in-plane magnetized GdCo alloys},
author = {Jun-Xiao Lin and Michel Hehn and Thomas Hauet and Yi Peng and Junta Igarashi and Yann Le Guen and Quentin Remy and Jon Gorchon and Gregory Malinowski and Stéphane Mangin and Julius Hohlfeld},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2308.10516},
year = {2023}
}