Enhancement of transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect using transition metals in a grating-based gyro-electric structure

Abstract This study proposes a new magneto-plasmonic structure based on a grating which is made of Co 6 Ag 94 (a gyro-electric medium) and a layer of transition metals (platinum, silver, copper, gold, and palladium) is placed on it. First, the impact of surface plasmon polaritons on enhancing the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect when exposed to TM- and TE-polarized waves has been investigated. The results indicate that the gyro-electric magneto-optics material effectively responds to TM-polarized waves, and the transverse Kerr effect is significantly amplified. Such reinforcement has made this structure suitable for use in the sensing field, which has shown a sensitivity of 100 deg RIU −1 and a figure of merit of about 1000 RIU −1 . These results clearly show the effect of using different metals in magneto-plasmonic structures for sensing applications. Also, by comparing the metals used and examining the characteristics and weaknesses of each, it is concluded that gold and silver are the best choices for this structure. Compared to other works that have been done, this work has shown that by using available and affordable materials, it is possible to design grating-based magneto-plasmonic structures that enhance magneto-optical effects and use them in various applications.