Local optical control of ferromagnetism and chemical potential in a topological insulator [Physics]

Many proposed experiments involving topological insulators (TIs) require spatial control over time-reversal symmetry and chemical potential. We demonstrate reconfigurable micron-scale optical control of both magnetization (which breaks time-reversal symmetry) and chemical potential in ferromagnetic thin films of Cr-(Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ grown on SrTiO₃. By optically modulating the coercivity of the films, we write and erase arbitrary patterns in their remanent magnetization, which we then image with Kerr microscopy. Additionally, by optically manipulating a space charge layer in the underlying SrTiO₃ substrates, we control the local chemical potential of the films. This optical gating effect allows us to write and erase p-n junctions in the films, which we study with photocurrent microscopy. Both effects are persistent and may be patterned and imaged independently on a few-micron scale. Dynamic optical control over both magnetization and chemical potential of a TI may be useful in efforts to understand and control the edge states predicted at magnetic domain walls in quantum anomalous Hall insulators.