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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Experimental Evidence of Néel-Order-Driven Magneto-optical Kerr Effect in an Altermagnetic Insulator
Haolin Pan1, Rui-Chun Xiao2,3, Jiahao Han4
1University of Science and Technology of China, International Center for Quantum Design of Functional Materials, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Hefei 230026, China.
None:
The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) is investigated in hematite, a collinear antiferromagnetic insulator, across a broad wavelength spectrum. By combining the optical measurements with magnetometry results, we unambiguously demonstrate that the Néel-order contribution dominates the MOKE signal, while contributions from net magnetization and external magnetic fields are negligible. This conclusion is quantitatively supported by first-principles calculations, and qualitatively by a symmetry analysis that the Néel contribution appears at the first order in spin-orbit coupling while the magnetization contribution starts only at the third order. This study clarifies the altermagnetic origin of the pronounced MOKE in hematite, underscoring the potential of altermagnets as a promising new class of magneto-optical materials.
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