Time-resolved magneto-optical effects in the altermagnet candidate MnTe

Isaiah Gray; Qinwen Deng; Qi Tian; Michael Chilcote; J. Steven Dodge; Matthew Brahlek; Liang Wu

doi:10.1063/5.0244878

Time-resolved magneto-optical effects in the altermagnet candidate MnTe

Isaiah Gray
, Qinwen Deng
, Qi Tian
, Michael Chilcote
, J. Steven Dodge
, Matthew Brahlek
, Liang Wu

Quantum Heterostructures

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

α -MnTe is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with above room temperature T N = 310 K, which is promising for spintronic applications. Recently, it was reported to be an altermagnet, containing bands with momentum-dependent spin splitting; time-resolved experimental probes of MnTe are, therefore, important both for understanding novel magnetic properties and potential device applications. We investigate ultrafast spin dynamics in epitaxial MnTe(001)/InP(111) thin films using pump-probe magneto-optical measurements in the Kerr configuration. At room temperature, we observe an oscillation mode at 55 GHz that does not appear at zero magnetic field. Combining field and polarization dependence, we identify this mode as a magnon, likely originating from inverse stimulated Raman scattering. Magnetic field-dependent oscillations persist up to at least 335 K, which could reflect coupling to known short-range magnetic order in MnTe above T N . Additionally, we observe two optical phonons at 3.6 and 4.2 THz, which broaden and redshift with increasing temperature.

Original language	English
Article number	212404
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	125
Issue number	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0244878
State	Published - Nov 18 2024

Funding

The authors thank Professor Jay Kikkawa for helpful discussions. I.G. was mainly sponsored by the Army Research Office (Grant No. W911NF-20-2-0166). The construction of the pump-probe setup was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Award No. FA9550-22-1-0410). Q.D. was supported by the NSF EPM program (Grant No. DMR-2213891) and the Vagelos Institute of Energy Science and Technology graduate fellowship. Q.T. was support by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) through Grant No. N00014-24-1-2064. The work at ORNL was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (growth and materials characterization).

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title = "Time-resolved magneto-optical effects in the altermagnet candidate MnTe",

abstract = "α -MnTe is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with above room temperature T N = 310 K, which is promising for spintronic applications. Recently, it was reported to be an altermagnet, containing bands with momentum-dependent spin splitting; time-resolved experimental probes of MnTe are, therefore, important both for understanding novel magnetic properties and potential device applications. We investigate ultrafast spin dynamics in epitaxial MnTe(001)/InP(111) thin films using pump-probe magneto-optical measurements in the Kerr configuration. At room temperature, we observe an oscillation mode at 55 GHz that does not appear at zero magnetic field. Combining field and polarization dependence, we identify this mode as a magnon, likely originating from inverse stimulated Raman scattering. Magnetic field-dependent oscillations persist up to at least 335 K, which could reflect coupling to known short-range magnetic order in MnTe above T N . Additionally, we observe two optical phonons at 3.6 and 4.2 THz, which broaden and redshift with increasing temperature.",

author = "Isaiah Gray and Qinwen Deng and Qi Tian and Michael Chilcote and Dodge, \{J. Steven\} and Matthew Brahlek and Liang Wu",

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T1 - Time-resolved magneto-optical effects in the altermagnet candidate MnTe

AU - Gray, Isaiah

AU - Deng, Qinwen

AU - Tian, Qi

AU - Chilcote, Michael

AU - Dodge, J. Steven

AU - Brahlek, Matthew

AU - Wu, Liang

PY - 2024/11/18

Y1 - 2024/11/18

N2 - α -MnTe is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with above room temperature T N = 310 K, which is promising for spintronic applications. Recently, it was reported to be an altermagnet, containing bands with momentum-dependent spin splitting; time-resolved experimental probes of MnTe are, therefore, important both for understanding novel magnetic properties and potential device applications. We investigate ultrafast spin dynamics in epitaxial MnTe(001)/InP(111) thin films using pump-probe magneto-optical measurements in the Kerr configuration. At room temperature, we observe an oscillation mode at 55 GHz that does not appear at zero magnetic field. Combining field and polarization dependence, we identify this mode as a magnon, likely originating from inverse stimulated Raman scattering. Magnetic field-dependent oscillations persist up to at least 335 K, which could reflect coupling to known short-range magnetic order in MnTe above T N . Additionally, we observe two optical phonons at 3.6 and 4.2 THz, which broaden and redshift with increasing temperature.

AB - α -MnTe is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor with above room temperature T N = 310 K, which is promising for spintronic applications. Recently, it was reported to be an altermagnet, containing bands with momentum-dependent spin splitting; time-resolved experimental probes of MnTe are, therefore, important both for understanding novel magnetic properties and potential device applications. We investigate ultrafast spin dynamics in epitaxial MnTe(001)/InP(111) thin films using pump-probe magneto-optical measurements in the Kerr configuration. At room temperature, we observe an oscillation mode at 55 GHz that does not appear at zero magnetic field. Combining field and polarization dependence, we identify this mode as a magnon, likely originating from inverse stimulated Raman scattering. Magnetic field-dependent oscillations persist up to at least 335 K, which could reflect coupling to known short-range magnetic order in MnTe above T N . Additionally, we observe two optical phonons at 3.6 and 4.2 THz, which broaden and redshift with increasing temperature.

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VL - 125

JO - Applied Physics Letters

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Time-resolved magneto-optical effects in the altermagnet candidate MnTe

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