Nonlinear Magneto-Optics of Fe Monolayers from first principles: Structural dependence and spin-orbit coupling strength

TL;DR

This study investigates how the nonlinear magneto-optical response of Fe monolayers varies with surface orientation, lattice constants, and spin-orbit coupling, highlighting its potential for thin-film analysis.

Contribution

It provides first-principles calculations of nonlinear magneto-optical spectra for Fe monolayers with different orientations and spin-orbit coupling strengths, revealing orientation-dependent effects.

Findings

Nonlinear magneto-optical spectra vary significantly with surface orientation.

Crossover from stripe to film structures shows clear spectral signatures.

Surface orientation and lattice constants influence magneto-optical sensitivity.

Abstract

We calculate the nonlinear magneto-optical response of free-standing fcc (001), (110) and (111) oriented Fe monolayers. The bandstructures are determined from first principles using a full-potential LAPW method with the additional implementation of spin-orbit coupling. The variation of the spin-orbit coupling strength and the nonlinear magneto-optical spectra upon layer orientation are investigated. We find characteristic differences which indicate an enhanced sensitivity of nonlinear magneto-optics to surface orientation and variation of the in-plane lattice constants. In particular the crossover from onedimensional stripe structures to twodimensional films of (111) layers exhibits a clean signature in the nonlinear Kerr-spectra and demonstrates the versatility of nonlinear magneto-optics as a tool for in situ thin-film analysis.