Enhancement of the Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in One- Dimensional Magnetophotonic Crystals with Adjustable Spatial Configuration

We studied magnetophotonic crystals (MPCs) with introduced magnetic defect layer sandwiched between magnetic and dielectric Bragg mirrors. These magnetophotonic crystals have excellent capabilities to enhance reflection and Kerr rotation simultaneously. By adjusting spatial configuration such as repetition numbers of Bragg mirrors and thickness of magnetic defect layer, we achieved the Kerr rotation angles more than 75˚ and reflection very close to 1. We briefly described the formulation of finite element method (FEM) and transfer matrix method (TMM). The electric field distribution and magnitude of it along the MPCs are simulated using FEM. Using the TMM, we calculated the MO responses of MPCs. With light localization inside the magnetic defect layer and multiple reflections in it, the magneto-optical (MO) responses of these MPCs were significantly increased. The studied structures in this research have high MO responses that make it suitable for designing MO elements in highly sensitive devices and optical telecommunication tools.