Light-Induced Magnetization From Magnonic Rectification

Rectification is the process of converting an oscillating field or current into a quasistatic one, commonly seen in AC/DC converters. This concept also extends to light-matter interactions, where optical rectification turns the electric field of light into a quasistatic polarization, and phononic rectification converts lattice vibrations into a structural distortion. In our work, we introduce magnonic rectification, a new mechanism in magnetism that transforms oscillating magnetization into a quasistatic state. This is achieved by using a laser-excited chiral phonon to alter spin precession in an antiferromagnet, resulting in a magnetic state similar to a canted antiferromagnet. This opens up new possibilities for creating dynamic spin configurations that are not accessible in normal equilibrium conditions.