ROTMOKE: An assessment of macroscopic models for bcc Ni/Ni(100)

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.

Keywords:

• magneto-optical Kerr effect
• optical properties of semi-infinite bulk materials
• surface magnetism

Acknowledgment

One of us, CE, wishes to acknowledge financial support from the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF, Project Number WK W004).