Nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr spectra of thin ferromagnetic iron films calculated with ab initio theory

TL;DR

This paper presents ab initio calculations of nonlinear and linear magneto-optical Kerr spectra for thin ferromagnetic iron films, revealing layer-dependent effects and differences from bulk surfaces, with results matching experimental data.

Contribution

The study provides the first ab initio calculations of nonlinear Kerr spectra for thin Fe films, highlighting layer-specific contributions and differences from bulk surfaces.

Findings

Kerr spectra are layer-dependent in thin Fe films.

Nonlinear Kerr spectra differ significantly from bulk surface spectra.

Theoretical results agree with experimental frequency- and thickness-dependent spectra.

Abstract

Using a spin-polarized full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital method we present calculations of the nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr effect for thin bcc Fe films within a slab geometry. Film layer dependent contributions to the Kerr spectrum are determined. Thus, we calculate the magneto-optical Kerr spectra for the linear and nonlinear case. Our results show clearly that the Kerr spectra of thin films are characteristicly different from those at surfaces of bulk materials. In the case of linear Kerr spectra of Au/Fe(bcc)/Au(001) films our theoretical results are in good agreement with observed frequency- and thickness-dependent spectra.