Electron-phonon scattering dynamics in ferromagnets on ultrafast timescales: Influence of the phonon temperature

Abstract

The magnetization response of bulk ferromagnets after excitation by an ultrashort optical pulse is calculated using a dynamical model of the Elliott-Yafet type that includes the effects of the spin-orbit interaction in the ab-initio ferromagnetic band structure, the electron-phonon interaction at the level of Boltzmann scattering integrals, and dynamical changes in the temperature of the phonon bath. Using realistic parameters for the ultrashort optical pulse, the computed maximum magnetization quenching achievable with electron-phonon scattering in a fixed band structure is much smaller than the quenching observed in experiments. Heating of the phonon bath is found to not appreciably change the magnetization dynamics on ultrashort timescales.