Band-structure-dependent demagnetization in the Heusler alloy Co₂Mn(1-x)FexSi

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Nov 19;105(21):217202. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.217202. Epub 2010 Nov 15.

Abstract

We investigate the ultrafast demagnetization for two Heusler alloys (Co₂Mn(1-x)FexSi) with a different lineup of the minority band gap and the Fermi level. Even though electronic spin-flip transitions are partially blocked by the band gap in one compound, the respective magnetization dynamics, as measured by the time-resolved Kerr effect, are remarkably similar. Based on a dynamical model that includes momentum and spin-dependent carrier scattering, we show that the magnetization dynamics are dominated by hole spin-flip processes, which are not influenced by the gap.