Intrinsic non-Markovian magnetisation dynamics

Memory effects arise in many complex systems, from protein folding, to the spreading of epidemics and financial decisions. While so-called non-Markovian dynamics is common in larger systems with interacting components, observations in fundamental physical systems have been confined to specifically engineered cases. Here, we report the experimental observation of non-Markovian dynamics in an elemental material, crystalline cobalt. By driving this material with an intense terahertz electromagnetic field, we bring its magnetisation into a non-equilibrium state and follow its evolution. We measure the sample's low temperature magnetic response in the time domain which leads to an unexpectedly rich multi-peaked spectrum in the Fourier domain, that cannot be explained by established models. We use open quantum system theory, which predicts a non-Markovian memory kernel in the dynamical equations to capture the fundamental interaction between the spin system and the phonon bath. Simulations based on this theory produce a multi-peaked spectrum, which matches the measured one. Our non-Markovian approach is also able to reproduce the modification of the spectrum at higher temperatures. Our findings demonstrate that non-Markovian effects are observable at a much more fundamental level than previously thought, opening the door to their exploration and control in a broad range of condensed matter systems.