  We have studied the influence of laser illumination on the magnetization in
multiferroic YbFe2O4 single crystals. A photoinduced magnetization change has
been confirmed in both ab plane and c axis direction. The temperature
dependence of the photoinduced magnetization reduction excludes laser heating
as the cause. In terms of the breakdown of charge order driven by laser
illumination, the photoinduced magnetization change provides a strong evidence
for the spin-charge coupling in YbFe2O4. This photomagnetic effect based on
charge-order-induced multiferroicity could be used for non-thermal optical
control of magnetization.
