Dynamics of antiferromagnetic order in Mott insulator upon photodoping

Photo-doping antiferromagnetic Mott insulators generates holes and electrons in different bands that can each affect the magnetic order in distinct ways. Here, I will present photo-doping studies on the antiferromagnetic Mott insulator Sr2IrO4 using a suite of time-resolved optical probes – second harmonic generation polarimetry, time-domain terahertz spectroscopy, and transient infrared reflectivity – that selectively track the temporal evolution of charge and spin degrees of freedom. I will demonstrate how different species of excited carriers can affect the temporal dynamics of the antiferromagnetic order in different ways. This work brings to light the need to understand photo-doping beyond a free carrier assumption.