Dynamics of Laser-Induced Magnetostructural Phase Transitions in MnAs/GaAs (001) Epitaxial Layers.

We have investigated by time-resolved X-ray diffraction the manganese arsenide structure dynamics in MnAs/GaAs (001) epitaxial films, when the $\alpha \to \beta $ magnetostructural phase transition is triggered by an ultra-fast optical laser pulse. Understanding the photo-induced phase transition dynamics is relevant for applications of MnAs/GaAs (001) as a magnetically active template in laser-induced magnetization switching processes. The main goal of our experiment is to determine the timescales of the structural changes that are likely to play a role in laser-driven magnetization reversal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]