Temperature-dependent Faraday rotation and magnetization reorientation in cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet thin films

Abstract

We report on the temperature dependence of the magnetic and magneto-optical properties in cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YIG) thin films. Measurements of the Faraday rotation as a function of temperature show that the magnetic easy axis of thin Ce:YIG films reorients from in-plane to out-of-plane on cooling below −100 °C. We argue that the temperature-dependence of the magnetostriction and magnetocrystalline anisotropy of Ce:YIG is the dominant factor contributing to the change in easy axis direction, and we describe the changes in the magneto-optical spectra with temperature.