Detecting two magnetization components by the magneto-optical Kerr effect

A novel technique was detecting two orthogonal in-plane magnetization components is presented. This technique utilizes the magneto-optical Kerr effects to sense the two components. These components of magnetization are parallel and perpendicular to the plane of incidence of the light beam. The ability to sense two components, individually or simultaneously, is a result of the disparity in the longitudinal and transverse Kerr effects. Based on the Frensel reflection coefficients of these two effects, an anlysis is presented describing this dual component sensitivity. The physical conditions are given for simultaneous and individual detection of the two in-plane magnetization components. To substantiate this analysis, magneto-optical measurements are made on single-crystal Fe films. The results are discussed in the context of dual component sensitivity.