Femtosecond Coherent Control of Spin with Light in (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnets

Abstract

Using density matrix equations of motion, we predict a femtosecond collective spin tilt triggered by nonlinear, near--ultraviolet ($\sim$3eV), coherent photoexcitation of (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconductors with linearly polarized light. This dynamics results from carrier coherences and nonthermal populations excited in the \{111\} equivalent directions of the Brillouin zone and triggers a subsequent uniform precession. We predict nonthermal magnetization control by tuning the laser frequency and polarization direction. Our mechanism explains recent ultrafast pump--probe experiments.