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Spintronics

Ultrafast push for counterintuitive spintronics

Current-inducing switching of magnetization is crucial for future magnetic data processing technologies, but switching it with speed and energy efficiency remains challenging. Using femtosecond optical pulses, instead of conventional charge currents, is found to make spintronics not only ultrafast but also counterintuitive.

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Fig. 1: A write–erase cycle of the ultrafast spin switching in a ferromagnetic spin valve using a femtosecond light pulse.

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Correspondence to Dmytro Afanasiev.

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Afanasiev, D., Kimel, A.V. Ultrafast push for counterintuitive spintronics. Nat. Mater. 22, 673–674 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01554-9

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