Optical helicity and Hertz vectors

The Strontium Optical Lattice Clock: Optical Spectroscopy with Sub-Hertz Accuracy

Optical-helicity-driven magnetization dynamics in metallic ferromagnets

Recent observations of switching of magnetic domains in ferromagnetic metals by circularly polarized light, so-called all-optical helicity dependent switching, has renewed interest in the physics that governs the interactions between the angular momentum of photons and the magnetic order parameter of materials. Here we use time-resolved-vectorial measurements of magnetization dynamics of thin l...

Engineered materials for all-optical helicity-dependent magnetic switching.

The possibility of manipulating magnetic systems without applied magnetic fields have attracted growing attention over the past fifteen years. The low-power manipulation of the magnetization, preferably at ultrashort timescales, has become a fundamental challenge with implications for future magnetic information memory and storage technologies. Here we explore the optical manipulation of the ma...

Concerning Hertz’ photoelectric effect

Experimental evidence of the photoelectric effect goes back to H. Hertz. It occurred during the famous confirmation experiments of the Maxwellian theory. It is commonly held however that it cannot be explained in the framework of that theory. We are calling attention to some aspects linked with the interpretation of that effect on which, in our opinion, it is worth-

Fundamental mechanism for all-optical helicity-dependent switching of magnetization

Switching magnetizations with femtosecond circularly polarized lasers may have revolutionary impacts on magnetic data storage and relevant applications. Achievements in ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic materials of various structures strongly imply a general phenomenon of fundamental atom-laser interaction. Rotating an atom's wave function with the rotating electric field of a circularly polariz...