Several studies have explored how phononic switching of magnetization can be achieved in doped films of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) with an initially homogeneous magnetic state. In this paper, we investigate how this mechanism operates in high-purity YIG films with a nonuniform stripe domain structure. We demonstrate that a mid-infrared pulse causes the stripe domains to rotate and form a distinctive nonuniform pattern that ultimately follows the sample's easy axes. Irradiation with subsequent pulses progressively displaces the reoriented domains, thus extending the total affected area. Micromagnetic simulations, modeling the excitation as a strain pulse, provide a conceptual understanding of the observed magnetization pattern. Our observations thus extend the mechanism of phononic switching of magnetization—which manifests as stripe reorientation in the stripe domain structure—which was previously observed only in homogeneous magnetic textures.

• Received 8 November 2023
• Revised 12 January 2024
• Accepted 30 January 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.109.L060408