Domain-wall motion induced by spin transfer torque delivered by helicity-dependent femtosecond laser

In magnetic wires with perpendicular anisotropy, moving a domain wall with only current or only circularly polarized light requires a high power. Here, we propose to reduce it by using both short current pulses and femtosecond laser pulses simultaneously. The wires were made out of perpendicularly magnetized film of Pt/Co/Ni/Co/Pt. The displacement of the domain wall is found to be dependent on the laser helicity. Based on a quantitative analysis of the current-induced domain-wall motion, the spin-orbit torque contribution can be neglected when compared to the spin transfer torque contribution. The effective field of the spin transfer torque is extracted from the pulsed field domain-wall measurements. Finally, our result can be described using the Fatuzzo-Labrune model and considering the effective field due to the polarized laser beam, the effective field due to spin transfer torque, and the Gaussian temperature distribution of the laser spot.

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