  A theoretical model of the coherent precession of magnetization excited by a
picosecond acoustic pulse in a ferromagnetic semiconductor layer of (Ga,Mn)As
is developed. The short strain pulse injected into the ferromagnetic layer
modifies the magnetocrystalline anisotropy resulting in a tilt of the
equilibrium orientation of magnetization and subsequent magnetization
precession. We derive a quantitative model of this effect using the
Landau-Lifshitz equation for the magnetization that is precessing in the
time-dependent effective magnetic field. After developing the general
formalism, we then provide a numerical analysis for a certain structure and two
typical experimental geometries in which an external magnetic field is applied
either along the hard or the easy magnetization axis. As a result we identify
three main factors, which determine the precession amplitude: the
magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the ferromagnetic layer, its thickness, and
the strain pulse parameters.
