  In a number of recent experiments, it has been shown that femtosecond laser
pulses can control magnetization on picosecond timescales, which is at least an
order of magnitude faster compared to conventional magnetization dynamics.
Among these demonstrations, one material system (GdFeCo ferromagnetic films) is
particularly interesting, as deterministic toggle-switching of the magnetic
order has been achieved without the need of any symmetry breaking magnetic
field. This phenomenon is often referred to as all optical switching (AOS).
However, so far, GdFeCo remains the only material system where such
deterministic switching has been observed. When extended to ferromagnetic
systems, which are of greater interest in many technological applications, only
a partial effect can be achieved, which in turn requires repeated laser pulses
for full switching. However, such repeated pulsing is not only energy hungry,
it also negates the speed advantage of AOS. Motivated by this problem, we have
developed a general method for single-shot, picosecond timescale, complete all
optical switching of ferromagnetic materials. We demonstrate that in
exchange-coupled layers of Co/Pt and GdFeCo, single shot, switching of the
ferromagnetic Co/Pt layer is achieved within 7 picoseconds after irradiation by
a femtosecond laser pulse. We believe that this approach will greatly expand
the range of materials and applications for ultrafast magnetic switching.
