Magnetooptic
Magnetooptic refers to the interaction of magnetic fields with light in which a material's optical properties depend on its magnetization, or light influences magnetization. The most studied effect is the Faraday effect: the polarization plane of linearly polarized light rotates as it propagates through a magnetized material. The rotation angle is proportional to the path length and the magnetic field, quantified by the Verdet constant.
In reflection, the magneto-optic Kerr effect produces rotation and ellipticity changes of the reflected light. These
Common magneto-optic materials are ferrimagnetic garnets such as yttrium iron garnet and bismuth-substituted iron garnets; they
Applications include non-reciprocal optical components such as Faraday isolators and circulators for fiber-optic communications, magneto-optic modulators
The field originated with Faraday's 1845 discovery of light rotation by a magnetic field; the Kerr effect