Magneto–Optical Properties and Applications of Magnetic Garnet
Y. Nakamura, Sumiko Bharti Singh Chauhan, Pang Boey Lim
Abstract
The interaction between light and the magnetization of a material is called the magneto–optical effect. It was used in magneto–optical recording such as MO disks and has been applied to optical isolators etc. with the development of optical communications. The magneto–optical properties of magnetic garnets and their applications are briefly reviewed in this article. In the first half, after a brief overview of the phenomenology of the magneto–optical effect, the effects of element substitution on properties such as Faraday rotation and optical absorbance of magnetic garnets are shown. In the second half, some interesting applications such as imaging technologies and other novel applications using the magneto–optical effect of magnetic garnets are also introduced.