Talk

Friday, October 11th, 2013

Speaker
Ilias Perakis
Affiliation
Department of Physics, University of Crete, and IESL, FORTH, Greece
Title
Quantum Tricks in the Shadows of Relativity and the Coulomb Force: Teaching Devices and Students to Think Ultra-Fast
Location
Department of Physics Bldg., Voutes, 3rd floor Seminar Room
Time
15:00
Language
English
Abstract

The technological demand to bump the Gigahertz switching speed limit of today's magnetic memory and logic devices into the Terahertz regime underlies the entire field of spin-electronics and integrated multi-functional nano-devices. In this talk, I use theory and experiment to show how all-optical switching based on the quantum-mechanical manipulation of spins and magnetic order with a train of phase-coherent laser pulses, by tuning phase and color, could meet this challenge. The creation of magnetic correlations within femtoseconds, i.e. faster than one period of lattice oscillations, reveals a new temporal regime of quantum-femtosecond magnetism. This field opens new directions for manipulating materials out-of-equilibrium with bursts of light, using Terahertz, Mid-infrared, and X-ray pulses.