Transverse magneto-optic Kerr effect and Imbert–Fedorov shift upon light reflection from a magnetic/non-magnetic bilayer: impact of misfit strain
Résumé
We present a theoretical study of the influence of the misfit strain on the transverse magnetooptic
Kerr effect (TMOKE) and the transverse shift (Imbert–Fedorov effect) experienced by a
light beam reflected from the surface of a magnetic/non-magnetic bilayer. The bilayer consists
of a magnetic, gyrotropic yttrium-iron garnet film epitaxially grown on a non-magnetic dielectric
gadolinium-gallium garnet slab. We use Green’s function method to calculate the reflection
matrix in the presence of strain. It is shown that the mechanical strain present in the vicinity of
the geometrical interface between the constituents of the bilayer can induce a non-negligible
contribution to the TMOKE and the Imbert–Fedorov shift (IFS) for incidence angles close to
those satisfying the half-wave condition for both layers, at which neither the TMOKE nor the
transverse shift would appear in the absence of strain. We analyze the dependence of the IFS on
the state of polarization of the incident