Longitudinal Kerr Magneto-optic Effect in Multilayer Structures of Dielectric and Magnetic Films

A simple but general expression for the longitudinal Kerr coefficient is derived for a general multilayer structure containing a single magnetic film. The expression is given in terms of well-known optical parameters of the system such as the ‘Potential Transmittance’ of the magnetic film. A number of special cases are considered and the expression is then used to establish the details of design of systems with much larger Kerr coefficients than previously predicted.