Nonlinear optical effects due to magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnet

We theoretically consider magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnetic slab induced by the magnetic field of a strong femtosecond laser pulse. The longitudinal geometry, in which the initial magnetization lies in both the plane of incidence and the sample plane, is studied. The magnetization oscillations at the optical wave frequency are calculated with the use of the Kapitza pendulum approach taking into account that the optical frequency is much greater than the magnetization oscillation eigenfrequency. We study the reflection of the electromagnetic wave from a ferromagnet and show that this laser-induced low-frequency magnetization dynamics leads to the appearance of the second-order nonlinearity in the Maxwell's equations, which in turn gives rise to both the second harmonic generation (SHG) and rectification effect. Although the amplitude of the magnetization oscillations is small, the considered effect may be responsible for the SHG with the efficiency comparable to that of nonmagnetic SHG from metal surfaces. Our estimations show that the suggested mechanism may explain the recent experiments on magnetization induced modulation of the SHG intensity in a "forbidden" PinPout combination of incident and reflected waves in cobalt/heavy metal systems, where it can be even more pronounced due to the spin current flow through the ferromagnet/heavy metal interface.