Effect of antiferromagnetic order on a propagating single-cycle THz pulse

Employing polarization sensitive terahertz (THz) transmission spectroscopy, we explored how the waveform of initially single-cycle linearly polarized THz pulses changes upon propagation through a thick antiferromagnetic crystal of CoF2. The changes upon propagation through CoF2 are found to depend strongly on both the incoming polarization and temperature. In particular, the ellipticity and polarization rotation acquired by initially linearly polarized light are quantified and explained in terms of magnetic linear birefringence and dichroism. Although the magneto-optical effects are often considered to be relatively weak, our experiments reveal that the polarization of the THz pulse substantially changes along the pulse duration. The pulse shape is further complicated by features assigned to the formation of magnon-polaritons. The findings clearly show the importance of accounting for propagation effects in antiferromagnetic spintronics and magnonics.