New magnetic materials and methods for controlling them are needed to improve data storage technologies. Recent progress has enabled optical detection and manipulation of spins in molecule-based magnets on the femtosecond timescale, which is promising for both increasing the read/write speed but also the data storage density. Experimental developments in femtosecond X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) and magneto-optics, in combination with theory advances, have opened up several new avenues to investigate molecule-based magnets. This review discusses the literature concerning ultrafast photoinduced dynamics in Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), which are molecule-based magnets. In PBAs spin-flips and lattice distortions can happen on the 100 fs timescale, which in some analogues lead to photoinduced changes in the long-range magnetic order. The literature and themes covered in this review are of relevance for ultrafast optical control of new multifunctional materials.
Kyle Barlow, J Olof Johansson. Ultrafast photoinduced dynamics in Prussian blue analogues. Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP. 2021 Apr 14;23(14):8118-8131
PMID: 33875986
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