Ultrafast magnetization dynamics: Microscopic electronic configurations and ultrafast spectroscopy

We provide an approach for the identification of the electronic and magnetic configurations of ferromagnetic Fe after an ultrafast decrease or increase of the magnetization. The model is based on the well-grounded assumption that, after an ultrafast variation of the magnetization, the system achieves a partial thermal equilibrium. With statistical arguments we show that the magnetic configurations are qualitatively different in the case of reduced or increased magnetization. The predicted magnetic configurations are then used to compute the dielectric response at the 3p (M) absorption edge, which is directly related to the changes observed in the experimental T-MOKE data. The good qualitative agreement between theory and experiment offers a substantial support for the validity of the model, and to the very existence of an ultrafast increase of the magnetization.