Enhanced Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in Nano-Magnetic Metamaterials with Near-Perfect Coherent Absorption
- 1Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
Abstract
The ability to control magnetic systems without external magnetic fields has attracted attention recently, with all-optical magnetic switching showing increasing promise. Gaining fine control over light-matter interactions in magnetic nanostructures is essential for advancing opto-magnetic technologies but remains challenging because strong optical coupling must be achieved within ultrathin magnetic structures at the target wavelength. Here, we show that coherent optical interference can increase this interaction in patterned magnetic metasurfaces. Arrays of permalloy nanomagnets are placed on a thin dielectric spacer above a reflective back-plane, forming a magnetic metasurface whose reflected wavefront is defined by the nanomagnet geometry, fill factor, and spacer thickness. Destructive interference between the metasurface and back-plane reflections yields near-perfect absorption, exceeding 95% for circular nanomagnet arrays in both simulation and experiment. The absorbed power is dissipated almost entirely within the nanomagnets, with only a few percent lost in the metallic back-plane. Enhanced absorption is also accompanied by a stronger magneto-optical Kerr effect, driven by both increased light–nanomagnet interaction and reduced reflected background. These results provide a general approach for achieving high optical absorption and strong magneto-optical response in nanoscale magnetic systems, supporting advances in optically addressable spintronics, magnetic sensing, and all-optical magnetic control.
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BibTeX
@article{xiao2026enhanced,
title = {{Enhanced Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in Nano-Magnetic Metamaterials with Near-Perfect Coherent Absorption}},
author = {Xiaofei Xiao and Tingjun Zheng and Alex Vanstone and Daniel S. Bromley and Holly Holder and Kilian D. Stenning and Jack C. Gartside and Will R. Branford and Rupert F. Oulton},
journal = {ACS Nano},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acsnano.6c15462},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c15462},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Enhanced Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect in Nano-Magnetic Metamaterials with Near-Perfect Coherent Absorption
AU - Xiaofei Xiao
AU - Tingjun Zheng
AU - Alex Vanstone
AU - Daniel S. Bromley
AU - Holly Holder
AU - Kilian D. Stenning
AU - Jack C. Gartside
AU - Will R. Branford
AU - Rupert F. Oulton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - ACS Nano
DO - 10.1021/acsnano.6c15462
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c15462
AB - The ability to control magnetic systems without external magnetic fields has attracted attention recently, with all-optical magnetic switching showing increasing promise. Gaining fine control over light-matter interactions in magnetic nanostructures is essential for advancing opto-magnetic technologies but remains challenging because strong optical coupling must be achieved within ultrathin magnetic structures at the target wavelength. Here, we show that coherent optical interference can increase this interaction in patterned magnetic metasurfaces. Arrays of permalloy nanomagnets are placed on a thin dielectric spacer above a reflective back-plane, forming a magnetic metasurface whose reflected wavefront is defined by the nanomagnet geometry, fill factor, and spacer thickness. Destructive interference between the metasurface and back-plane reflections yields near-perfect absorption, exceeding 95% for circular nanomagnet arrays in both simulation and experiment. The absorbed power is dissipated almost entirely within the nanomagnets, with only a few percent lost in the metallic back-plane. Enhanced absorption is also accompanied by a stronger magneto-optical Kerr effect, driven by both increased light–nanomagnet interaction and reduced reflected background. These results provide a general approach for achieving high optical absorption and strong magneto-optical response in nanoscale magnetic systems, supporting advances in optically addressable spintronics, magnetic sensing, and all-optical magnetic control.
SN - 1936-0851
SN - 1936-086X
ER -