Giant nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr effects from Fe interfaces (invited)

Second harmonic generation from magnetic materials is shown to lead to a nonlinear magneto-optical Kerr effect that can be orders of magnitude larger than its linear equivalent. The origin of this effect can be found in the differences between the linear and nonlinear solutions of the optical wave equations and in the symmetry properties of the corresponding optical tensors. Applications for the study of magnetic surfaces, thin films, and multilayers will be discussed.