Investigation of deterministic and cumulative nature in helicity-dependent optical switching of ferrimagnetic Gd-Fe-Co films

The precise control of magnetization using circularly polarized laser pulses in perpendicularly magnetized films is a key approach to develop storage media. Although deterministic helicity-dependent magnetization switching (HDMS) in a single -pulse excitation has been observed in ferrimagnetic Gd-Fe-Co alloys, ferromagnetic [Co/Pt]N multilayers require cumulative effects of multiple pulses to achieve HDMS. In this study, we systematically investigated the single -shot and cumulative nature of HDMS using ferrimagnetic Gd-Fe-Co films with varying compositions and multilayer structures, in terms of angular momentum compensation, thermal diffusion, mobility of domain walls, and the size of the magneto -optical effect. These results provide insights for the realization of single -shot HDMS in various magnetic systems, such as ferromagnetic alloys.