A sensitive MOKE and optical Hall effect technique at visible wavelengths: insights into the Gilbert damping.

ABSTRACT: It is well known that the anomalous Hall effect displayed in ferromagnets is much stronger than the ordinary Hall effect. Therefore, the optical Hall effect is significantly weaker than the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) such that it is barely detectable at visible wavelengths. We present a sensitive MOKE technique which is based on large-amplitude modulation of the externally applied magnetic field that is suitable for non-magnetic metals. Using a 440 nm laser, we measure Cu, Au, Al, Ta, and Pt and find partial agreement with the Lorentz-Drude theory implying contributions of the plasma dynamics and interband transitions beyond the approximations of the model. Interestingly, we find that the noise scales with the spin-orbit coupling of the metals. This is manifested by a remarkable co

SUBMITTER: Am-Shalom N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12271360 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature