Sensitive devices to determine the state and degree of polarization of a light beam using a birefringence modulator

Badoz, J.; Billardon, M.; Canit, J. C.; Russel, M. F.

doi:10.1088/0150-536x/8/6/003

Cited by 113 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In a polar Kerr measurement, linearly polarized light was focused onto the sample with a ~10 µm diameter spot by a reflective objective with an incidence angle close to normal and the reflected light was collected by a pick-up mirror. To measure the Kerr rotation, we used a technique based on a photoelastic optical phase modulator (PEM) 41, 42 . Synchronous detection of the reflected light at the second harmonic of the PEM frequency and DC reflectivity enabled precision of rotation with 0.25 milli-degrees (5 µrad) sensitivity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large magneto-optical Kerr effect and imaging of magnetic octupole domains in an antiferromagnetic metal

et al. 2018

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When a polarized light beam is incident upon the surface of a magnetic material, the reflected light undergoes a polarization rotation1. This magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) has been intensively studied in a variety of ferro- and ferrimagnetic materials because it provides a powerful probe for electronic and magnetic properties2, 3 as well as for various applications including magneto-optical recording4. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in antiferromagnets (AFMs) as prospective spintronic materials for high-density and ultrafast memory devices, owing to their vanishingly small stray field and orders of magnitude faster spin dynamics compared to their ferromagnetic counterparts5–9. In fact, the MOKE has proven useful for the study and application of the antiferromagnetic (AF) state. Although limited to insulators, certain types of AFMs are known to exhibit a large MOKE, as they are weak ferromagnets due to canting of the otherwise collinear spin structure10–14. Here we report the first observation of a large MOKE signal in an AF metal at room temperature. In particular, we find that despite a vanishingly small magnetization of M ~0.002 µB/Mn, the non-collinear AF metal Mn3Sn15 exhibits a large zero-field MOKE with a polar Kerr rotation angle of 20 milli-degrees, comparable to ferromagnetic metals. Our first-principles calculations have clarified that ferroic ordering of magnetic octupoles in the non-collinear Néel state16 may cause a large MOKE even in its fully compensated AF state without spin magnetization. This large MOKE further allows imaging of the magnetic octupole domains and their reversal induced by magnetic field. The observation of a large MOKE in an AF metal should open new avenues for the study of domain dynamics as well as spintronics using AFMs.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large magneto-optical Kerr effect and imaging of magnetic octupole domains in an antiferromagnetic metal

et al. 2018

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“…determined from the experiment using, e.g., the polarization modulation technique [13,14,15]. For an incident wave linearly polarized parallel to the x-axis (χ i = 0), these relations characterize the complex Faraday effect, and the complex polar Kerr effect, respectively, which can be expressed as…”

Section: Jones Transmission and Reflection Matricesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magneto-optic polar Kerr and Faraday effects in periodic multilayers

Višňovský¹,

Postava²,

Yamaguchi³

2001

Opt. Express

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Magnetooptic (MO) effects in magnetic multilayers with periodically stratified regions are analyzed for the case of normal light wave incidence and polar magnetization (Faraday and polar Kerr effects). From the universal 4 × 4-matrix formalism simplified analytical representations restricted to terms linear in the off-diagonal permittivity tensor elements are obtained with no loss in accuracy. The MO effects are expressed as weighted sums of contributions from individual layers. Approximate expressions useful for the evaluation of trends in MO effects are given for periodic multilayers consisting of blocks with ultrathin magnetic films. The procedure is illustrated on periodic systems built of symmetric units. Limits on the ultrathin approximation are discussed.

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“…It is always desirable to have full manipulation of polarization in transmission, reflection or absorption of the EM waves flexibly [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Conventional methods to modulate polarizations include using photoelastic modulator in infrared and midinfrared region [8], phase control of two orthogonal polarized terahertz pulses by using a Michelson interferometer [9] or biasing four-contact photoconductive antenna [10]. Metamaterials (MMs) refer to artificial materials or structures exhibiting unique properties that cannot be found in naturally occurring materials [11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%