We show experimentally that field-free alignment of iodobenzene molecules, induced by a single, intense, linearly polarized 1.4-ps-long laser pulse, can be strongly enhanced by dividing the pulse into two optimally synchronized pulses of the same duration. For a given total energy of the two-pulse sequence the degree of alignment is maximized with an intensity ratio of 1:3 and by sending the second pulse near the time where the alignment created by the first pulse peaks.

An analytical and numerical approach is developped to pinpoint the optimal experimental conditions to irreversibly switch magnetization using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The layers are magnetized perpendicular to the plane and two switching mechanisms are considered. In precessional switching, a small in-plane field initially tilts the magnetization and the passage of the SAW modifies the magnetic anisotropy parameters through inverse magneto-striction, which triggers precession, and eventually reversal. Using the micromagnetic parameters of a fully characterized layer of the magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(As,P), we then show that there is a large window of accessible experimental conditions (SAW amplitude/wave-vector, field amplitude/orientation) allowing irreversible switching. As this is a resonant process, the influence of the detuning of the SAW frequency to the magnetic system's eigenfrequency is also explored. Finally, another -non-resonantswitching mechanism is briefly contemplated, and found to be applicable to (Ga,Mn)(As,P): SAWassisted domain nucleation. In this case, a small perpendicular field is applied opposite the initial magnetization and the passage of the SAW lowers the domain nucleation barrier.

We report a direct determination of the dynamic behavior of confined acoustic phonons in nanocavities by picosecond acoustics. We provide the broadband, high resolution transmission amplitude curve in the subterahertz range, and we give evidence of resonant transmission peaks in three successive stop bands, in quantitative agreement with acoustic simulations. We furthermore demonstrate transit times in the nanosecond range at the cavity peaks reflecting the strong confinement of resonant phonons within the cavity layer. On the other hand, picosecond transit times are measured in the stop band, shorter than in any of the constituting materials, a tunneling effect well known both in photonic crystals and in macroscopic phononic systems.

Nonadiabatic laser alignment of an asymmetric top molecule is studied using the combination of a quantum dynamical theory and time-resolved photofragment imaging experiments. In particular, the degree of alignment of iodobenzene, induced by an intense, linearly polarized picosecond laser pulse, is calculated and measured. Pronounced alignment is obtained under field-free conditions.

Acoustic attenuation rates in vitreous silica in the 20–400 GHz frequency range have been measured using a multiple-pulse optical technique for generation of tunable multicycle acoustic waves that are detected interferometrically after traversal of the sample. The results connect the frequency ranges of several measurement methods, yielding a consistent description of the acoustic behavior.

The rotational revival structure of asymmetric top molecules, following irradiation by an intense picosecond laser pulse, is explored theoretically and experimentally. Numerically we solve nonperturbatively for the rotational dynamics of a general asymmetric top subject to a linearly polarized intense pulse, and analyze the dependence of the dynamical alignment on the field and system parameters. Experimentally we use time-resolved photofragment imaging to measure the alignment of two molecules with different asymmetry, iodobenzene, and iodopentafluorobenzene. Our numerical results explain the experimental observations and generalize them to other molecules. The rotational revival structure of asymmetric tops differs qualitatively from the intensively studied linear top case. Potentially it provides valuable structural information about molecules.

International audienceThe effect of picosecond acoustic strain pulses (ps-ASP) on a thin layer of (Ga,Mn)As codoped with phosphorus was probed using magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). A transient MOKE signal followed by low-amplitude oscillations was evidenced, with a strong dependence on applied magnetic field, temperature, and ps-ASP amplitude. Careful interferometric measurement of the layer’s thickness variation induced by the ps-ASP allowed us to model very accurately the resulting signal, and interpret it as the strain modulated reflectivity (differing for σ± probe polarizations), independently from dynamic magnetization effects

No abstract