Exceptionally high Verdet constant in gold nanodisc arrays

TL;DR

This paper reports a gold nanodisc array with an exceptionally high Verdet constant of 1.98 million deg/T.m, significantly surpassing unpatterned gold, enabling enhanced magneto-optical effects for optoelectronic applications.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel gold nanodisc array that achieves a 15-fold increase in Verdet constant through hybrid plasmon and lattice resonances, advancing magneto-optical device potential.

Findings

Verdet constant of 1.98e6 deg/T.m achieved

15-fold enhancement over unpatterned gold

Potential for strong magneto-plasmonic effects

Abstract

Magneto-optical effects in non-magnetic noble metals can be greatly enhanced by leveraging the in-plane Lorentz force at engineered plasmonic resonances. We demonstrate a 2D array of gold nanodiscs designed to host a hybrid resonance of localized plasmon and surface lattice modes. The structure exhibits a Verdet constant of 1.98e6 deg/T.m, corresponding to a Faraday rotation of -0.15 deg at a 1 T magnetic field. This Verdet constant represents a 15-fold enhancement over unpatterned gold and is highly competitive with many plasmon-enhanced diamagnetic nanostructures. These findings offer new opportunities for harnessing strong magneto-plasmonic effects in optoelectronic devices by patterning common non-magnetic metals.