Control of the Oscillatory Interlayer Exchange Interaction with Terahertz Radiation

The oscillatory interlayer exchange interaction between two magnetic layers separated by a metallic spacer is one of the few coherent quantum phenomena that persists at room temperature. Here, we show that this interaction can be controlled dynamically by illuminating the sample (e.g., a spin valve) with radiation in the 10-100 THz range. We predict that the exchange interaction can be changed from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic (and vice versa) by tuning the amplitude and/or the frequency of the radiation. Our chief theoretical result is an expression that relates the dynamical exchange interaction to the static one that has already been extensively measured.