The microscopic mechanism behind the all optical switching (AOS) in ferromagnets has
triggered intense scientific debate. Here, the microscopic three-temperature model is utilized
to describe AOS in a perpendicularly magnetized ferromagnetic Co/Pt system. We
demonstrate that AOS in such a ferromagnet can be explained with the Inverse Faraday
Effect (IFE). The influence of the strength and lifetime of the IFE induced field pulse on the
switching process are investigated. We found that because of strong spin-orbit coupling, the …