Abstract

For the first time, we have experimentally demonstrated^[1] that there is an influence of surface magnetization on optical second harmonic generation (SHG) in reflection from ferromagnetic crystals. Following previous theoretical predictions^[2,3], this influence may be ascribed to magneto-optical KERR rotation of the induced nonlinear polarization: The combined action of spin-orbit coupling and exchange interaction in a ferromagnet may be taken to result in a preferred rotation of the direction of oscillation of the materials’ electrons when excited by an electromagnetic wave.

© 1992 IQEC