A comparative study of laser-induced demagnetization dynamics in Fe, Co, and Ni

Even twenty years after the discovery of ultrafast demagnetization of ferromagnetic materials induced by a femtosecond laser pulse there is still an ongoing debate about the mechanisms that drive the process. Surprisingly, a comprehensive study that compares demagnetization dynamics in different materials on equal footing is lacking. Yet, the scientific community would greatly benefit from such study. We fill this gap by performing a systematic comparison of ultrafast demagnetization behavior in Iron, Cobalt and Nickel, the simplest itinerant ferromagnets, under a wide range of pump fluences. In this experiment, we utilize a tabletop broadband extreme ultraviolet source to probe magnetization dynamics at the M$_{2,3}$ absorption edges of these three elements using the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect. The obtained data can be used to inform theory and, thereby, assist in resolving the remaining questions about the micro- and macroscopic mechanisms behind ultrafast laser-induced magnetization dynamics in materials.