Magneto-optical response enhanced by Mie resonances in nanoantennas

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that nanoantenna lattices can significantly enhance magneto-optical responses by leveraging optical magnetism, opening new avenues for light control at the nanoscale.

Contribution

It introduces the first experimental evidence of magneto-optical response enhancement in nanoantennas due to optical magnetism, advancing metamaterials research.

Findings

Enhanced magneto-optical response in nanoantenna lattices

Optical magnetism significantly boosts magneto-optical effects

Potential for improved nanoscale light modulation

Abstract

Control of light by an external magnetic field is one of the important methods for modulation of its intensity and polarisation. Magneto-optical effects at the nanoscale are usually observed in magnetophotonic crystals, nanostructured hybrid materials or magnetoplasmonic crystals. An indirect action of an external magnetic field (e.g. through the Faraday effect) is explained by the fact that natural materials exhibit negligible magnetism at optical frequencies. However, the concept of metamaterials overcome this limitation imposed by nature by designing artificial subwavelength meta-atoms that support a strong magnetic response, usually termed as optical magnetism, even when they are made of nonmagnetic materials. The fundamental question is what would be the effect of the interaction between an external magnetic field and an optically-induced magnetic response of metamaterial structures. Here we make the first step toward answering this fundamental question and demonstrate the multifold enhancement of the magneto-optical response of nanoantenna lattices due to the optical magnetism.