6533b7d7fe1ef96bd1269143

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Optical magnetic circular dichroism in threshold photoemission from a magnetite thin film

J. MaulRafael RamosK. HildSunil K. AroraTobias MengM. KallmayerIgor V. ShvetsHans-joachim ElmersGerd Schönhense

subject

Magnetic circular dichroismChemistryInverse photoemission spectroscopyAnalytical chemistryPhysics::OpticsAngle-resolved photoemission spectroscopyCondensed Matter PhysicsMolecular physicsMagnetic fieldCondensed Matter::Materials ScienceMagnetizationX-ray magnetic circular dichroismCondensed Matter::SuperconductivityVibrational circular dichroismGeneral Materials ScienceCircular polarization

description

Threshold photoemission excited by polarization-modulated ultraviolet femtosecond laser light is exploited for phase-sensitive detection of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) for a magnetite thin film. Magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) shows a magnetic circular dichroism of ∼(4.5 ± 0.3) × 10(-3) for perpendicularly incident circularly polarized light and a magnetization vector switched parallel and antiparallel to the helicity vector by an external magnetic field. The asymmetry in threshold photoemission is discussed in comparison to the magneto-optical Kerr effect. The optical MCD contrast in threshold photoemission will provide a basis for future laboratory photoemission studies on magnetic surfaces.

https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/20/23/235218