X-ray laser FLASH reveals fast demagnetisation process
(Phys.org)—Scientists from TU Berlin, DESY and the University of Paris discovered a surprising effect in the demagnetisation of ferromagnetic materials at DESY's free-electron laser FLASH. The team of researchers headed by Professor Stefan Eisebitt from Technische Universität Berlin is part of an international collaboration. The scientists found that electrons can move very quickly between areas with different magnetisation and thereby influence the demagnetisation of the material. The effect could play a decisive role in reducing the size of magnetic memories. "Optical demagnetisation is by far the quickest process to change magnetisation locally, and this in turn is the basis of magnetic storage," Eisebitt explains. "Therefore, optical processes could help make magnetic memories faster in the future." The scientists published the results of their study in the current issue of the journal Nature Communications.