Faraday Effect

Faraday Effect
The Faraday effect or Faraday rotation, sometimes referred to

as the magneto-optic Faraday effect (MOFE),is a physical
magneto-optical phenomenon. The Faraday effect causes a
polarization rotation which is proportional to the projection of
the magnetic field along the direction of the light propagation.
Formally, it is a special case of gyroelectromagnetism obtained
when the dielectric permittivity tensor is diagonal. This effect
occurs in most optically transparent dielectric materials
(including liquids) under the influence of magnetic fields.
Discovered by Michael Faraday in 1845, the Faraday effect was
the first experimental evidence that light and electromagnetism
are related. The theoretical basis of electromagnetic radiation
(which includes visible light) was completed by James Clerk
Maxwell in the 1860s. Maxwell’s equations were rewritten in
their current form in the 1870s by Oliver Heaviside.
The Faraday effect is caused by left and right circularly
polarized waves propagating at slightly different speeds, a
property known as circular birefringence. Since a linear
polarization can be decomposed into the superposition of two
equal-amplitude circularly polarized components of opposite
handedness and different phase, the effect of a relative phase
shift, induced by the Faraday effect, is to rotate the orientation
of a wave’s linear polarization.
The Faraday effect has applications in measuring instruments.
For instance, the Faraday effect has been used to measure
optical rotatory power and for remote sensing of magnetic
fields (such as fiber optic current sensors). The Faraday effect is
used in spintronics research to study the polarization of
electron spins in semiconductors. Faraday rotators can be used
for amplitude modulation of light, and are the basis of optical
isolators and optical circulators; such components are required
in optical telecommunications and other laser applications.
Example of Faraday
Effect
Ionosphere
Radio waves passing through the Earth’s ionosphere are
likewise subject to the Faraday effect. The ionosphere consists
of a plasma containing free electrons which contribute to
Faraday rotation according to the above equation, whereas the
positive ions are relatively massive and have little influence.
In conjunction with the Earth’s magnetic field, rotation of the
polarization of radio waves thus occurs. Since the density of
electrons in the ionosphere varies greatly on a daily basis, as
well as over the sunspot cycle, the magnitude of the effect
varies.
However the effect is always proportional to the square of the
wavelength, so even at the UHF television frequency of 500
MHz (λ = 60 cm), there can be more than a complete rotation
of the axis of polarization.
A consequence is that although most radio transmitting
antennas are either vertically or horizontally polarized, the
polarization of a medium or short wave signal after reflection
by the ionosphere is rather unpredictable.
However the Faraday effect due to free electrons diminishes
rapidly at higher frequencies (shorter wavelengths) so that at
microwave frequencies, used by satellite communications, the
transmitted polarization is maintained between the satellite
and the ground.
Semiconductors
Due to spin-orbit coupling, undoped GaAs single crystal exhibits

much larger Faraday rotation than glass (SiO2). Considering the
atomic arrangement is different along the (100) and (110)
plane, one might think the Faraday rotation is polarization
dependent.
However, experimental work revealed an immeasurable
anisotropy in the wavelength range from 880–1,600 nm. Based
on the large Faraday rotation, one might be able to use GaAs to
calibrate the B field of the terahertz electromagnetic wave
which requires very fast response time. Around the band gap,
the Faraday effect shows resonance behavior.
More generally, (ferromagnetic) semiconductors return both
electro-gyration and a Faraday response in the high frequency
domain.
The combination of the two is described by
gyroelectromagnetic media,[2] for which gyroelectricity and
gyromagnetism (Faraday effect) may occur at the same time.
Plasmonic and magnetic
materials
In 2009 γ-Fe2O3-Au core-shell nanostructures were synthesized

to integrate magnetic (γ-Fe2O3) and plasmonic (Au) properties
into one composite. Faraday rotation with and without the
plasmonic materials was tested and rotation enhancement
under 530 nm light irradiation was observed.
Researchers claim that the magnitude of the magneto-optical
enhancement is governed primarily by the spectral overlap of
the magneto-optical transition and the plasmon resonance.
The reported composite magnetic/plasmonic nanostructure can
be visualized to be a magnetic particle embedded in a resonant
optical cavity.
Because of the large density of photon states in the cavity, the
interaction between the electromagnetic field of the light and
the electronic transitions of the magnetic material is enhanced,
resulting in a larger difference between the velocities of the
right- and left-hand circularized polarization, therefore
enhancing Faraday rotation.

Faraday Effect

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Faraday Effect

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Faraday Effect

The Faraday effect or Faraday rotation, sometimes referred to

Due to spin-orbit coupling, undoped GaAs single crystal exhibits

Plasmonic and magnetic

In 2009 γ-Fe2O3-Au core-shell nanostructures were synthesized

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