Photoinduced Magnetization Change in Multiferroic YbFe₂O₄

We investigate the influence of laser illumination on the magnetization in multiferroic YbFe₂O₄ single crystals. A photoinduced magnetization change is confirmed in both ab plane and the c-axis directions. The temperature dependence of the photoinduced magnetization reduction excludes laser heating as the cause. In terms of the breakdown of charge order driven by laser illumination, the photoinduced magnetization change provides strong evidence for the spin-charge coupling in YbFe₂O₄. This photomagnetic effect based on charge-order-induced multiferroicity could be used for the non-thermal optical control of magnetization.