Transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect in subwavelength dielectric gratings

We demonstrate theoretically a large transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) in subwavelength gratings consisting of alternating magneto-insulating and nonmagnetic dielectric nanostripes. The reflectivity of the grating reaches 96% at the frequencies corresponding to the maximum of the TMOKE response. The combination of a large TMOKE response and high reflectivity is important for applications in 3D imaging, magneto-optical data storage, and magnonics. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America