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Abstract Coherent light-matter interactions mediated by opto-magnetic phenomena like the inverse Faraday effect (IFE) are expected to provide a non-thermal pathway for ultrafast manipulation of magnetism on timescales as short as the excitation pulse itself. As the IFE scales with the spin-orbit coupling strength of the involved electronic states, photo-exciting the strongly spin-orbit coupled core-level electrons in magnetic materials appears as an appealing method to transiently generate large opto-magnetic moments. Here, we investigate this scenario in a ferrimagnetic GdFeCo alloy by using intense and circularly polarized pulses of extreme ultraviolet radiation. Our results reveal ultrafast and strong helicity-dependent magnetic effects which are in line with the characteristic fingerprints of an IFE, corroborated by ab initio opto-magnetic IFE theory and atomistic spin dynamics simulations.

Free-electron lasers provide bright, ultrashort, and monochromatic x-ray pulses, enabling novel spectroscopic measurements not only with femtosecond temporal resolution: The high fluence of their x-ray pulses can also easily enter the regime of the non-linear x-ray–matter interaction. Entering this regime necessitates a rigorous analysis and reliable prediction of the relevant non-linear processes for future experiment designs. Here, we show non-linear changes in the L 3-edge absorption of metallic nickel thin films, measured with fluences up to 60 J/cm2. We present a simple but predictive rate model that quantitatively describes spectral changes based on the evolution of electronic populations within the pulse duration. Despite its simplicity, the model reaches good agreement with experimental results over more than three orders of magnitude in fluence, while providing a straightforward understanding of the interplay of physical processes driving the non-linear changes. Our findings provide important insights for the design and evaluation of future high-fluence free-electron laser experiments and contribute to the understanding of non-linear electron dynamics in x-ray absorption processes in solids at the femtosecond timescale.

We present time-resolved scanning x-ray microscopy measurements with picosecond photo-excitation via a tailored infrared pump laser at a scanning transmission x-ray microscope. Specifically, we image the laser-induced demagnetization and remagnetization of thin ferrimagnetic GdFe films proceeding on a few nanoseconds timescale. Controlling the heat load on the sample via additional reflector and heatsink layers allows us to conduct destruction-free measurements at a repetition rate of 50 MHz. Near-field enhancement of the photo-excitation and controlled annealing effects lead to laterally heterogeneous magnetization dynamics which we trace with 30 nm spatial resolution. Our work opens new opportunities to study photo-induced dynamics on the nanometer scale, with access to picosecond to nanosecond time scales, which is of technological relevance, especially in the field of magnetism.

We report on time- and angle-resolved transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect spectroscopy in the soft x-ray range that, by analysis via polarization-dependent magnetic scattering simulations, allows us to determine the spatiotemporal and element-specific evolution of femtosecond laser-induced spin dynamics in nanostructured magnetic materials. In a ferrimagnetic GdFe thin-film system, we correlate a reshaping spectrum of the magneto-optical Kerr signal to depth-dependent magnetization dynamics and disentangle contributions due to nonequilibrium electron transport and nanoscale heat diffusion on their intrinsic timescales. Our Letter provides a quantitative insight into light-driven spin dynamics occurring at buried interfaces of complex magnetic heterostructures, which can be tailored and functionalized for future optospintronic devices.

Focused beams of helium ions are a powerful tool for high-fidelity machining with spatial precision below 5 nm. Achieving such a high patterning precision over large areas and for different materials in a reproducible manner, however, is not trivial. Here, we introduce the Python toolbox FIB-o-mat for automated pattern creation and optimization, providing full flexibility to accomplish demanding patterning tasks. FIB-o-mat offers high-level pattern creation, enabling high-fidelity large-area patterning and systematic variations in geometry and raster settings. It also offers low-level beam path creation, providing full control over the beam movement and including sophisticated optimization tools. Three applications showcasing the potential of He ion beam nanofabrication for two-dimensional material systems and devices using FIB-o-mat are presented.

Free electron laser beam profile characterization is usually performed separately from the actual measurements and this leads to considerable uncertainty in the results. Here the authors demonstrate the simultaneous measurement of the FEL beam profile with the experiment by using integrated gratings.

We present an element specific and spatially resolved view of magnetic domains in Co/Pt heterostructures in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range. Resonant small-angle scattering and coherent imaging with Fourier-transform holography reveal nanoscale magnetic domain networks via magnetic dichroism of Co at the M2,3 edges as well as via strong dichroic signals at the O2,3 and N6,7 edges of Pt. We demonstrate for the first time simultaneous, two-color coherent imaging at a free-electron laser facility paving the way for a direct real space access to ultrafast magnetization dynamics in complex multicomponent material systems.

Exploiting x-ray magnetic circular dichroism at the L-edges of 3d transition metals, Fourier transform holography has become a standard technique to investigate magnetic samples with sub-100 nm spatial resolution. Here, magnetic imaging in the 21 nm wavelength regime using M-edge circular dichroism is demonstrated. Ultrafast pulses in this wavelength regime are increasingly available from both laser- and accelerator-driven soft x-ray sources. We explain the adaptations concerning sample preparation and data evaluation compared to conventional holography in the 1 nm wavelength range. We find the correction of the Fourier transform hologram to in-plane Fourier components to be critical for high-quality reconstruction and demonstrate 70 nm spatial resolution in magnetization imaging with this approach.

We present dichroic x-ray lensless magnetic imaging by Fourier transform holography with an extended reference scheme via a modified uniformly redundant array (mURA). Holographic images of magnetic domains simultaneously generated by a single pinhole reference as well as by a mURA reference are compared with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as a function of exposure time. We apply this approach for spectro-holographic imaging of ferromagnetic domain patterns in Co/Pt multilayer films. Soft x-rays with wavelengths of 1.59 nm (Co L3 absorption edge) and 20.8 nm (Co M2,3 absorption edges) are used for image formation and to generate contrast via x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. For a given exposure time, the mURA-based holography allows to decouple the reconstruction SNR from the spatial resolution. For 1.59 nm wavelength, the reconstruction via the extended reference scheme shows no significant loss of spatial resolution compared to the single pinhole reference. In contrast, at 20.8 nm wavelength the single pinhole reveals some very intricate features which are lost in the image generated by the mURA, although overall a high-quality image is generated. The SNR-advantage of the mURA scheme is most notable when the hologram has to be encoded with few photons, while errors associated with the increased complexity of the reconstruction process reduce the advantage for high-photon-number experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]