Verification of ultrafast spin transfer effects in FeNi alloys

The optical intersite spin transfer (OISTR) effect was recently verified in Fe$_{50}$Ni$_{50}$ using magneto-optical Kerr measurements in the extreme ultraviolet range. However, one of the main experimental signatures analyzed in this work, namely a magnetic moment increase at a specific energy in Ni, was subsequently found also in pure Ni, where no transfer from one element to another is possible. Hence, it is a much-discussed issue whether OISTR in FeNi alloys is real and whether it can be verified experimentally or not. Here, we present a comparative study of spin transfer in Fe$_{50}$Ni$_{50}$, Fe$_{19}$Ni$_{81}$ and pure Ni. We conclusively show that an increase in the magneto-optical signal is indeed insufficient to verify OISTR. However, we also show how an extended data analysis overcomes this problem and allows to unambiguously identify spin transfer effects. Concomitantly, our work solves the long-standing riddle about the origin of delayed demagnetization behavior of Ni in FeNi alloys.