Open AccessOptical magnetization, Part I: Experiments on radiant optical magnetization in solids
Author(s) -
Alexander A. Fisher,
Elizabeth F. C. Dreyer,
Ayan Chakrabarty,
Stephen C. Rand
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.026055
Subject(s) - magnetization , rayleigh scattering , scattering , electric field , light scattering , physics , polarization (electrochemistry) , optics , condensed matter physics , dipole , circular polarization , polarization density , magnetic field , chemistry , quantum mechanics , microstrip
Linearly-polarized magnetic dipole (MD) scattering as intense as Rayleigh scattering is reported in transparent garnet crystals and fused quartz through a magneto-electric interaction at the molecular level. Radiation patterns in quartz show the strongest optical magnetization relative to electric polarization ever reported. As shown in an accompanying paper, quantitative agreement is achieved with a strong-field, fully-quantized theory of magneto-electric (M-E) interactions in molecular media. The conclusion is reached that magnetic torque enables 2-photon resonance in an EH* process that excites molecular librations and accounts for the observed upper limit on magnetization. Second-order M-E dynamics can also account for unpolarized scattering from high-frequency librations previously ascribed to first-order collision-induced or third-order, all-electric processes.