A German-Japanese research team, involving the University of Augsburg, has made a significant breakthrough in the use of antiferromagnets. For the first time, the team has succeeded in writing magnetic information using only ultrashort laser pulses – without the need for electric currents or magnetic fields.
Antiferromagnetic materials are considered promising for the next generation of data storage devices, as they react particularly quickly and are insensitive to external disturbances. Until now, however, their application has been limited because their magnetic states are difficult to control precisely.
The research team led by experimental physicist Prof. Dr István Kézsmárki has now developed a new method in which it is not the polarisation of the light, but its direction of propagation (‘pulse’) that is used for control. Through targeted irradiation, it is thus possible to switch between different magnetic states and write information. Furthermore, this information can also be read out using purely optical means.
Data storage technology of the future
The method operates in the telecommunications wavelength range and is therefore compatible with existing optical networks. In the future, it could enable a direct link between optical communication and magnetic data storage – faster and with significantly lower energy consumption.
Furthermore, the researchers were able to demonstrate that complex magnetic patterns can be selectively written into the material and stored stably. By repeatedly switching the material using laser light, the information is retained permanently (non-volatile), which is a key requirement for practical storage technologies.
In the long term, this approach opens up new prospects for the development of high-performance information technologies: in future, data could be written directly using light and stored in magnetic materials, without the need for electrical signals. This promises not only significantly higher speeds, but also a noticeable reduction in energy consumption – for example, in data centres or communication systems.
The findings were published in the prestigious journal *Nature Materials* and could pave the way for novel magneto-optical storage devices as well as innovative, energy-efficient information systems.
Contact for scientific information:
Prof. Dr. István Kézsmárki
Head of Department Experimental Physics V
Phone: +49 821 598 - 3600
istvan.kezsmarki@uni-a.de
Original publication:
Toyoda, S., Kocsis, V., Tokunaga, Y. et al. All-optical control of antiferromagnetic domains via an inverse optical magnetoelectric effect. Nat. Mater. (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02608-4
