A Microscopic Model of Non-Reciprocal Optical Effects in Cr_2 O_3
arXiv:cond-mat/9508082 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.75.2766
Abstract
This manuscript deals with the question "How does light couple to an antiferromagnetic order parameter"? For that we develop a microscopic model that explains the non-reciprocal optical effects in centrosymmetric Cr_2 O_3. It is shown that light can couple {\em directly} to the antiferromagnetic order parameter. This coupling is mediated by the spin-orbit interaction and involves an interplay between the breaking of inversion symmetry due to the antiferromagnetic order parameter and the trigonal field contribution to the ligand field at the Cr^{3+} ion.
Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett