Photoinduced non-reciprocal magnetism

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Quantum Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Non-reciprocal interactions, where action-reaction symmetry is broken out of equilibrium, drive novel collective phenomena.
• Implementing these interactions in solid-state systems is difficult due to the need for precise single-site control in existing quantum schemes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel dissipation-engineering protocol for inducing non-reciprocal interactions in solid-state systems using light.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of this protocol with current experimental techniques.

Main Methods:

• A dissipation-engineering protocol using light injection to create a decay channel to a virtually excited state.
• Microscopic analysis of magnetic metals to observe induced non-reciprocal spin interactions.
• Application of the scheme to layered ferromagnets to study phase transitions.

Main Results:

• Successfully induced non-reciprocal interactions between localized spins in magnetic metals, leading to chase-and-runaway dynamics.
• Observed a non-reciprocal phase transition to a many-body time-dependent chiral phase in layered ferromagnets.
• Demonstrated that light can be used to engineer non-reciprocal interactions in solid-state platforms.

Conclusions:

• The proposed protocol offers a viable route to realize non-reciprocal interactions in solid-state systems.
• This work opens new avenues for controlling quantum matter with light and exploring non-equilibrium physics.
• It bridges the gap between classical active systems and solid-state quantum platforms in the context of non-reciprocity.