Eur. Phys. J. AP 7, 19-24 (1999)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap:1999194

Magneto-optical properties of metal-dielectric composites with a periodic microstructure

School of Physics and Astronomy, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

Corresponding author: strel@post.tau.ac.il

Received: 2 December 1998
Revised: 19 March 1999
Accepted: 21 April 1999
Published online: 15 July 1999

Abstract

The AC magneto-electric properties (including Faraday rotation, etc.) of a metal-dielectric composite are considered in the quasi-static regime. Resonances appear at modified values of the surface plasmon and cyclotron frequencies, which depend on the applied magnetic field as well as on the microstructure. When the microstructure is periodic and has more than one characteristic length scale, the electric permittivity can exhibit a strong dependence on both the magnitude and the direction of the applied DC magnetic field in the vicinity of one of those resonances. The possibility of observing this effect in a suitably fabricated composite film is discussed.