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Abstract
Ab-initio Kerr angles for a multilayer system were calculated by means of Luttinger's formalism within the spin-polarized relativistic screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method by including all multiple reflections and optical interferences via the 2 × 2 matrix technique. Two further macroscopic models are suggested for a multilayer system; i.e., the two-media approach and the three-media approach. The Kerr angles obtained using the two-media approach show that 75 % of the Kerr rotation angles arise from surface contributions when compared to the 2 × 2 matrix approach. Furthermore, by comparing the three-media approach to the 2 × 2 matrix technique it is found that almost 25 % of the Kerr rotation angles are due to interfaces between the atomic layers.
Acknowledgment
One of us, CE, wishes to acknowledge financial support from the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF, Project Number WK W004).