Discovery of 90 degrees Magneto-optical Polar Kerr Rotation in CeSb

Analytical analysis of a multilayer structure with ultrathin Fe film for magneto-optical sensing

Magneto-optic (MO) response in nanostructures with ultrathin Fe considered for the MO mapping of current pulses with a two-dimensional diffraction limited resolution is investigated in detail. The structures consist of an ultrathin Fe layer sandwiched with dielectric layers, deposited on a reflector and covered by a noble metal protecting layer. The structures are modeled as five-layer systems with abrupt interfaces. Analytical expressions are provided that are useful in the search for the maximum of MO reflected wave amplitude polarized perpendicular to the incident linearly polarized wave, |ryx((05))|. The procedure of finding the maximal |ryx((05))| is illustrated on the structures with ultrathin Fe at the laser wavelength of 632.8 nm. The maximal |ryx((05))| of 0.018347 was achieved in the structure AlN(52 nm)/Fe(15 nm)/AlN(26 nm)/Au. The deposition of a 5 nm protecting Au layer reduced |ryx((05))| by 6 per cent.

Electron-spin motion: a new tool to study ferromagnetic films and surfaces

When electrons are interacting with a ferromagnetic material, their spin-polarization vector is expected to move. This spin motion, comprising an azimuthal precession and a polar rotation about the magnetization direction of the ferromagnet, has been studied in spin-polarized electron scattering experiments both in transmission and reflection geometry. In this review we show that electron-spin motion can be considered as a new tool to study ferromagnetic films and surfaces and we discuss its application to a number of different problems: (a) the transmission of spin-polarized electrons across ferromagnetic films, (b) the influence of spin-dependent gaps in the electronic band structure on the spin motion in reflection geometry, (c) interference experiments with spin-polarized electrons and (d) the influence of lattice relaxations in ferromagnetic films on the spin motion.

Electronic, magnetic and transport properties of rare-earth monopnictides

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of many rare-earth monopnictides are reviewed in this article. Possible candidate materials for spintronics devices from the rare-earth monopnictide family, i.e. high polarization (nominally half-metallic) ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, are identified. We attempt to provide a unified picture of the electronic properties of these strongly correlated systems. The relative merits of several ab initio theoretical methods, useful in the study of the rare-earth monopnictides, are discussed. We present our current understanding of the possible half-metallicity, semiconductor-metal transitions, and magnetic orderings in the rare-earth monopnictides. Finally, we propose some potential strategies to improve the magnetic and electronic properties of these candidate materials for spintronics devices.

Extraordinary magneto-optical effects and transmission through metal-dielectric plasmonic systems

We predict theoretically a significant enhancement of the magneto-optical Faraday and Kerr effects in the bilayer systems of a metallic film perforated with subwavelength hole arrays and a uniform dielectric film magnetized perpendicular to its plane. Calculations, based on a rigorous coupled-wave analysis of Maxwell's equations, demonstrate that in such structures the Faraday effect spectrum has several resonance peaks in the near-infrared range, some of them coinciding with transmittance peaks, providing simultaneous large Faraday rotation enhanced by an order of magnitude and high transmittance of about 35%.

Orbital ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall effect in antiferromagnets on the distorted fcc lattice

The Berry phase due to the spin wave function gives rise to the orbital ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall effect in the noncoplanar antiferromagnetic ordered state on face-centered-cubic (fcc) lattice once the crystal is distorted perpendicular to the (1,1,1) or (1,1,0) plane. The relevance to the real systems gamma-FeMn and NiS2 is also discussed.