Resonant spin wave excitation in magnetoplasmonic bilayers by short laser pulses

Abstract: In magnetically ordered solids a static magnetic field can be generated by virtue of the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE). Moreover, the latter was shown to be dramatically enhanced due to the optical excitation of surface plasmons in nanostructures with relatively small optical losses. In this paper we suggest a new method of resonant optical excitations in a prototypical bilayer composed of noble metal (Au) with grating and a ferromagnet thin film of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) via frequency comb. Based on magnetization dynamics simulations we show that for the frequency comb with the parameters, chosen in resonant with spin-wave excitations of YIG, TMOKE is drastically enhanced, hinting towards possible technological applications in the optical control of spintronics systems.