Using photoconductive Auston switches, we generate electrical pulses with 5.5 ps duration
and hundreds of pico-Joules to pass through Co/Pt multilayers. The electrical pulse heats
the electrons in the Co/Pt multilayers and causes an ultrafast reduction in the magnetic
moment. A comparison between optical and electrically induced demagnetization of the
Co/Pt multilayers reveals significantly different dynamics for optical vs electrical heating. We …