Structural Dynamics In Ferh During A Laser-Induced Metamagnetic Phase Transition

Time-resolved x-ray diffraction with ultrashort x-ray pulses from a laser-produced plasma is used to study the lattice response of FeRh during a femtosecond laser-induced antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition. Pump-probe measurements at initial sample temperatures below as well as above the AFM-to-FM transition temperature and for different laser pump fluences allowed to disentangle the various contributions driving lattice expansion. In particular, the data reveal that the structural changes associated with the magnetic phase transition occur on a time scale of a hundred picoseconds.