The switching of rare-earth-based ferrimagnets triggered by thermal excitation is investigated on the basis of an atomistic spin model beyond the rigid-spin approximation, distinguishing magnetic moments due to electrons in $d$ and $f$ orbitals of the rare earth. It is shown that after excitation of the conduction electrons a transient ferromagneticlike state follows from a dissipationless spin dynamics where energy and angular momentum are distributed between the two sublattices. The final relaxation can then lead to a new state with the magnetization switched with respect to the initial state. The time scale of the switching event is to a large extent determined by the exchange interaction between the two sublattices.

• Received 10 December 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.020406