All-optical helicity-dependent magnetic switching by first-order azimuthally polarized vortex beams

Abstract

In this letter, a method to realize all-optical helicity-dependent magnetic switching (AO-HDS) using a first-order azimuthally polarized vortex (FAPV) beam is demonstrated. Numerical calculations of the focal fields of FAPV beams reveal that left-handed and right-handed circular polarizations are generated due to the interaction between the polarization singularity and the helical wave front. Its feasibility for AO-HDS is experimentally demonstrated in Gd27Fe63.87Co9.13 under low numerical aperture (NA) conditions and within a narrow fluence window. It is numerically predicted that under high NA conditions, the lateral size of magnetic bits recorded by FAPV beams can be nearly 30% smaller than that obtained by circularly polarized beams, which opens a promising route to realize ultrafast and ultrahigh-density magnetic recording.