Research Report

Research Report

Title: All-optical generation of multifunctional and tunable longitudinal

magnetization textures

Student Name: Zhou zhilong (Zzl)

Student Number: 20220521

Course: Optical engineering

Date due: 27th May 2022

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Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 3

Methodology 3

Discussion 4

Conclusion 5

Recommendation 5

Appendix 5

Reference list 6

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Abstract: We demonstrate an all-optical strategy for creating

multifunctional and tunable longitudinal magnetization textures. This is
realized by flexibly engineering the coherent interferences of two
counter-propagating azimuthally polarized vortex beams possessing on-
demanding phase and amplitude encoding in a 4π optical microscopic
setup. In doing so, we can access not only the regular longitudinal
magnetization patterns including bright spheroid/needle, dark
cage/channel, and bright-dark alternating chain/comb, but also the
exotic twisted counterparts with controllable number of turns, thereby
making versatile magnetization on the targeted magneto-optical media
with integrated footprint possible. The presented research findings may
hold tremendous potential in multifunctional high density and low
energy consumption opto-magnetic storage and photonics of spin, and
beyond.

Introduction: All-optical manipulation of magnetization has attracted

ever-growing research attentions due to the intriguing prospective
applications in ultrahigh-density opto-magnetic data storage, magnetic
recording, and confocal magnetic resonance microscopy (C. D. Stanciu et
al., 2007). In this regard, the inverse Faraday effect initially proposed in
1960s has been routinely considered as a vital solution (Furry et al.,
1960). Based on such a canonical opto-to-magneto effect, numerous
ingenious strategies, such as amplitude, phase, and polarization
encodings, have been dedicated to achieve light-induced multifunctional
magnetizations, including scalable spatial resolutions, controllable
polarization orientations and tunable structure diversities (Yan et al.,
2021). By leveraging phase/amplitude tailored vectorial beams under
tight focusing to irradiate on magneto-optical media, it is able to trigger
not merely super-resolved magnetization spot (arrays) and
subwavelength prolonged magnetization needles/chains, but also
polarization flexibly steerable magnetizations in transverse, longitudinal,
and three-dimensional orientations (WANG et al., 2017). In additional to
these regular-shaped magnetization textures demonstrated above,
exotic twisted counterparts were recently reported through vectorial
beam coupling, opening a promising route to explore all-optical
magnetization topology (Liu et al., 2021). In this report, we put forward a
viable pathway to engineer multifunctional and tunable longitudinal
magnetizations by tightly focusing tailored vectorial vortex beams
through coherent superposition in a single 4π microscopic configuration.

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Methodology & Results/Findings: A 4π focusing system consisting of

two objectives with a numerical aperture of 0.95 illuminated by two
counter-propagating azimuthally polarized hollow-Gaussian vortex
beams. The prescribed phase/amplitude modulations of the incoming
vectorial beams can be achieved by adding the spiral phase plates and
self-designed amplitude-modulated filters in turn. The phase
transmittance function associated with the spiral phase plates
determined by topological charges can be characterized. Prior to
acquiring the light-induced magnetization, it is of pivotal importance to
derive the related optical fields. Based on the vectorial Debye integrals,
the electric fields of the azimuthally polarized hollow-Gaussian vortex
beam in the focal plane can be given by a series of simulation formulas.
When the focused light fields impinge on the isotropic magneto-optical
medium, according to the canonical inverse Faraday effect, the
phenomenological magnetization fields can be represented. More
impressively, by further choosing appropriate amplitude-modulation
filters and topological-charge-tunable spiral phase plates, it is in principle
likely to achieve regular/twisted versatile and steerable longitudinal
magnetization textures.

Discussion: To begin with, the magnetic spheroid by tightly focused

double face-to-face incident beams without any modulation. It is
exhibited that both the lateral and axial full width at half maximum of
the magnetic spheroid is 0.432λ with negligible side lobes. Furthermore,
by making use of ingenious engineered annular amplitude filters to
modulate the incoming vectorial beams, we are able to garner a hollow
magnetic cage. We observe that the longitudinal magnetic cage forms
two symmetrical solid spots on the beam axis. As a legitimate extension,
the magnetization needle by tightly focused single vectorial vortex beam
with a narrow-annular filter modulation, where the angle scope of the
beam radiation varies ranging from 0.88 to 0.89. Moreover, when the
two counter-propagating vectorial beams superimpose each other, it
enables us to garner a subwavelength and extra-long single-path
longitudinal magnetization chain. Significantly, an axial super-long
longitudinal magnetic channel can be yielded by tightly focused single
azimuthally polarized vortex beam with the angle changes ranging from
0.33 to 0.42. Additionally, we are able to achieve an axial super-long
longitudinal magnetic comb via tightly focused two counter-propagating
azimuthally polarized vortex beams. More impressively, when the
magnetization topology varies from 1 to 2, a lateral super-resolved and
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axial extra-long longitudinal magnetization needle can be generated by

tightly focused single azimuthally polarized vortex beam with the angle
changes ranging from 0.91 to 0.93. In addition to the regular longitudinal
magnetizations, the projections of the exotic twisted longitudinal
magnetizations intensity distribution in each orthogonal plane can be
obtained by appending inconsistent topological charges.

Conclusion: In conclusion, based on the vectorial Debye integrals and

the inverse Faraday effect, we have theoretically implemented the all-
optical control of multifunctional and tunable longitudinal magnetization
textures in the 4π optical configuration. These exotic opto-magnetic
phenomena are due to the synergetic function of the
constructive/destructive interferences and the Gouy phase shift of the
focused light fields. The presented results not only reinforce the
flexibility of all-optical magnetic manipulation but also hold enormous
potential in multidimensional high density and low energy consumption
storage and photonics of spin.

Recommendation: The aforementioned longitudinal magnetization

patterns are all the MATLAB simulation results. To deeply promoted the
applications of all-optical manipulation of longitudinal magnetizations,
these simulation outcomes can have a good guide of the following
experiments. Except for guide the development of the experiments, the
presented outcomes not only have the tremendous application in
photonics of spin, but also opening a promising route to explore all-
optical magnetization topology.

Appendix: The schematic diagram and the generated longitudinal

magnetization patterns.

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Reference List:
C. D. Stanciu, F. Hansteen, & A. V. Kimel. (2007). All-optical magnetic recording
with circularly polarized light. Physics Review Letters, 99(4), 047601.
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.047601
Furry, W. H., Hamermesh, M., Brown, W. F., & Beyer, R. T. (1960). Soviet Physics—
JETP. Physics Today, 13(6), 32-34. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3056990
Liu, X., Yan, W., Liang, Y., Nie, Z., Wang, Y., Jiang, Z., . . . Zhang, X. (2021).
Twisting polarization‐tunable subdiffraction‐limited magnetization through
vectorial beam coupling. Advanced Photonics Research.
https://doi.org/10.1002/adpr.202100117
Wang, S., Cao, Y., & Li, X. (2017). Generation of uniformly oriented in-plane
magnetization with near-unity purity in 4pi microscopy. Optice Letters,
42(23), 5050-5053. https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.42.005050
Yan, W., Lin, S., Lin, H., Shen, Y., Nie, Z., Jia, B., & Deng, X. (2021). Dynamic
control of magnetization spot arrays with three-dimensional orientations.
Optice Express, 29(2), 961-973. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.412260