Faraday rotation in a cavity integrated with layered van der collinear antiferromagnetic material

Abstract Two dimensional layered van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic (FM) and anti FM materials enable the alternative candidates for establishing the next-generation magnetooptical (MO) devices. However, the explorations of the MO effects are primarily focused on the layered FM materials and their nanostructures. How the MO responses behave in the structures with vdW layered anti FM materials remain largely unknown. Here, we identify that a layered collinear antiferromagnet supports the nontrivial MO Faraday rotation (FR) angle in the presence of the electric field instead of magnetic field due to its lifted spin degeneracy and asymmetric band structure at different valleys, whose value is comparable with those of vdW layered ferromagnets and closely correlates with the size of the electric field. Specifically, the FR angle of the layered collinear antiferromagnet can be substantially enhanced via integrating it into a cavity structure, which promises the chance of improving their MO performance. Our result highlights the fundamental opportunities of utilizing the collinear antiferromagnets for various MO applications ranging from magnetometry to high density holographic data storage.