All-optical switching of magnetization refers to the process whereby an optical pulse is used to reverse the magnetization of a magnetic system. In a small subset of magnetic materials, this process can occur with a single optical pulse, known as single-shot all optical switching, enabling fast operations. Here, Peng et al show that this process can occur for a wide variety of rare earth–transition metal multilayers, expanding the range of potential materials that can exhibit this effect.
- Y. Peng
- D. Salomoni
- M. Hehn
