Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

MA: Fachverband Magnetismus

MA 35: Spintronics (other effects) (joint session MA/TT)

MA 35.1: Hauptvortrag

Mittwoch, 11. März 2026, 15:00–15:30, POT/0112

Magneto-optic Kerr effects of higher order in magnetization in thin films of different crystal orientations — •Timo Kuschel — Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

The magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) is an important tool to study magnetic properties of thin films. While the MOKE contribution linear in magnetization (LinMOKE) is mainly used for Kerr imaging, Kerr spectroscopy, time-resolved MOKE, and vectorial magnetometry of ferromagnetic thin films [1], the MOKE contributions quadratic in magnetization (QMOKE) [2] have been used for investigations of antiferromagnetic materials, spin-orbit torques, and structural order of Heusler compounds [3]. Recently, we have identified MOKE contributions of third order in magnetization (cubic MOKE, CMOKE) [4] and studied its dependence on the structural domain twinning of Ni(111) thin films.

In this talk, I will introduce these MOKE effects of higher order and describe their angular dependencies with respect to the crystal orientations of the thin films. While it is quite simple to find CMOKE in (111)-oriented films, it is not straightforward to identify it in (001)-oriented samples. I will discuss the reasons. Furthermore, I will report on the material systems that have shown CMOKE so far and mention potential applications.

[1] T. Kuschel et al., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 44, 265003 (2011)

[2] R. Silber, TK et al., Phys. Rev. B 100, 064403 (2019)

[3] R. Silber, TK et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 116, 262401 (2020)

[4] M. Gaerner, TK et al., Phys. Rev. Applied 22, 024066 (2024)

Keywords: magneto-optic Kerr effect; higher order effects; structural domain twinning; thin films