Enhanced Faraday Rotation via Resonant Tunnelling in Tri-Layers Containing Magneto-Optical Metals

Abstract

We study resonant tunnelling effects that can occur in tri-layer structures featuring a dielectric layer sandwiched between two magneto-optical-metal layers. We show that the resonance splitting associated with these phenomena can be exploited to enhance Faraday rotation at optical frequencies. Our results indicate that, in the presence of realistic loss levels, a tri-layer structure of sub-wavelength thickness is capable of yielding sensible (~10°) Faraday rotation with transmittance levels that are an order of magnitude larger than those attainable with a standalone slab of magneto-optical metal of same thickness.

18 pages, 9 figures. Some typos fixed