Ultrafast magnetoelastic probing of surface acoustic transients

We generate in-plane magnetoelastic waves in nickel films using the all-optical transient grating technique. When performed on amorphous glass substrates, two dominant magnetoelastic excitations can be resonantly driven by the underlying elastic distortions, the Rayleigh surface acoustic wave and the surface skimming longitudinal wave. An applied field, oriented in the sample plane, selectively tunes the coupling between magnetic precession and one of the elastic waves, thus demonstrating selective excitation of coexisting, large-amplitude magnetoelastic waves. Analytical calculations based on the Green's function approach corroborate the generation of multiple surface acoustic transients with disparate decay dynamics.