Strontium ruthenate is ferromagnetic and has strong spin-orbit coupling, making it an important material for research into oxide spintronics. A team led by the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied ultrafast magnetization dynamics in freestanding SrRuO3 films.
The researchers prepared freestanding and epitaxial films about 20 nm thick and compared their ultrafast magnetic responses using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. The freestanding film demagnetized in a single step within about 1 ps, while the epitaxial film showed a two-step process.
Analysis using a microscopic three-temperature model indicated that strain release reduces the magnetic moment. This made the demagnetization rate factor of the freestanding film about twice that of the epitaxial film.
