The dynamics of spin ordering in magnetic materials is of interest for both fundamental understanding and progress in information processing. Radu et al. study spin dynamics in a ferrimagnetic gadolinium-iron-cobalt (GdFeCo) alloy that is optically excited at a timescale shorter than the characteristic magnetic exchange interaction between the Gd and Fe spins. Using element-specific X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy, they show that the Gd and Fe spins switch directions at very different timescales. As a result, an unexpected transient ferromagnetic state emerges. These observations, supported by simulations, provide a possible new concept of manipulating magnetic order on a timescale of the exchange interaction.
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