Professor Martin Weinelt’s team and researchers from the University of Konstanz, the University of Prague and the University of Uppsala employed time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and orbital-resolved spin dynamics simulations to shed light on the demagnetization dynamics in rare-earth metals Gd versus Tb. The results of the study have been published in the journal "Science Advances".

The findings demonstrate that coupling of the 4f spins to the lattice via the orbital momentum is an essential mechanism driving magnetization dynamics via ultrafast magnon generation in technically relevant materials with strong magnetic anisotropy. These fundamental findings provide a basis for engineering future materials for information storage such as cloud-based solutions.