Richard Wilson, UC Riverside
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Abstract: Ultrafast optical excitation of magnetic materials allows for a wide array of novel phenomena that may be useful for developing new types of ultrafast and energy efficient information technologies. These phenomena include optically induced magnetization dynamics, ultrafast switching of magnetic order, and the efficient generation of THz electric fields. Ultrafast magnetic phenomena are driven by the large flows of energy and angular momentum that result from optical excitation. However, the microscopic mechanisms that govern these flows of energy and angular momentum are poorly understood. We use ultrafast optoelectronic techniques to study how energy and angular momentum are transported on these scales in different types of magnetic materials. In this talk I will highlight three examples: i) deterministic switching of a magnetic metals with a 10 ps electrical current pulse; ii) optically induced magnetization dynamics in CoFe alloys; and iii) magnetic moments in metals induced by circularly polarized light. Biosketch: Dr. Richard Wilson joined the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of California Riverside as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2016. Prior to joining UCR, he obtained his PhD in Materials Science from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2015 where he worked as an NDSEG fellow. His doctoral work involved understanding the limits to Fourier theory in nanoscale thermal transport problems. He went on to investigate ultrafast spintronic phenomena as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Berkeley. At UC Riverside his group’s research focuses on understanding and controlling ultrafast thermal, electronic, and magnetic transport phenomena. He is the recipient of the ARO Young Investigator Award (2018) and the NSF Career Award (2019). ** Refreshments served from 2:45pm – 3:00pm in PAS 218. Thank you. **