Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reflective optical bi-stability of antiferromagnetic films

  • Regular Article
  • Solid State and Materials
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal B Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We investigate one magnetically nonlinear response of antiferromagnetic (AF) films to incident electromagnetic waves, or the reflective optical bi-stability (ROB). Such geometry is used, where the AF anisotropy axis and external static magnetic field both are parallel to the film surfaces and normal to the incident plane. For TE incident waves with the electric component transverse to the incident plane, the ROB of the AF film with the absorption is calculated, but the case of TM incident waves is neglected since no magnetic nonlinearity is induced in this geometry. The bi-stability is completely different in the two resonant-frequency vicinities. Two kinds of bi-stability are found in the higher vicinity, and their features versus incident power are opposite. We also find that there are critical incident angle and critical film thickness for the existence of bi-stability. The bi-stability disappears when the film thickness or incident angle exceeds its critical value. Because the properties of bi-stable reflection sensitively depend on the external field and the incident angle, this bi-stability can be easily modulated by means of changing these quantities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. H.M. Gibbs, Optical Bistability: Controlling Light with Light (Academic, London, 1985)

  2. R.L. Sutherland, Handbook of Nonlinear Optics (Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, 1996)

  3. A. Joshi, M. Xiao, Phys. Rev. A 74, 013817 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. A. Joshi et al., Phys. Rev. A 67, R041801 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. M. Solajcic, J.D. Joannopoulos, Nature Mater. 3, 211 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. A.R. Cowan, J.F. Young, Semicond. Sci. Technol. 20, R41 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. N.S. Almeida, D.L. Mills, Phys. Rev. B 36, 2015 (1987)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. L. Kahn, N.S. Almeida, D.L. Mills, Phys. Rev. B 37, 8072 (1988)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. X.Z. Wang, S.F. Fu, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 271, 334 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. S. Zhou, H. Li, S.F. Fu, X.Z. Wang, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25, 1639 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. S. Zhou, H. Li, S.F. Fu, X.Z. Wang, Phys. Rev. B 80, 205409 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. J.X. Ta, Y.L. Song, X.Z Wang, J. Appl. Phys. 108, 013520 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. X.Z. Wang, H. Li, Phys. Rev. B 72, 054403 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. F. Jonsson, C. Flytzanis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 063902 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. I.L. Lyubchanskii et al., J. Appl. Phys. 103, 07B321 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. V. Lousse, J.P. Vigneron, Physica B 338 (2003)

  17. M. Soljacic′, M. Ibanescu, S.G. Johnson, Y. Fink, J.D. Joannopoulos, Phys. Rev. B 66, R055601 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. S. Zhou, Magneto-optical Nonlinearity of Antiferromagnet/Dielectric Systems, Dissertation for the Doctor Degree in Engineering Harbin University of Science and Technology Publisher, 2010

  19. X.Z. Wang, H. Li, Nonlinear Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves in Antiferromagnets, in Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in Complex Matter, edited by A. Kishk (Intech-Open Access Publisher, 2011), Chap. 3

  20. N.S. Almeida, D.L. Mills, Phys. Rev. B 37, 3400 (1988)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. A.B.M.A. Ibrahim, J. Osman, Eur. Phys. J. B 63, 193 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dielectric Engineering, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin, 150080, P.R. China

    J. Bai & X. Z. Wang

  2. Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials and Excited State Processes, and School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, 150025, P.R. China

    J. Bai, S. F. Fu, S. Zhou & X. Z. Wang

Authors
  1. J. Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. F. Fu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. X. Z. Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to X. Z. Wang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bai, J., Fu, S.F., Zhou, S. et al. Reflective optical bi-stability of antiferromagnetic films. Eur. Phys. J. B 83, 343 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2011-20314-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2011-20314-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation