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.