Calculation of the magnetorefractive effect in giant magnetoresistive granular films

Abstract

Calculations of the magnetorefractive (MRE) effect in giant magnetoresistive CoxAg1−x (GMR) granular films have been performed and compared with experimental data. At long wavelengths (λ>20 μm), there is a linear relationship between the GMR and MRE. As the wavelength is reduced (10<λ<20 μm), the value of ωτ↑(↓) becomes increasingly important requiring fitting of the spin dependent relaxation times. For λ<10 μm, optical constants such as εr become significant and the MRE curve becomes more complex. Spin dependence was introduced by modeling the optical conductivity using the model of Zhang and Levy. Both the calculation and experiment reveal that the MRE effect is an order of magnitude larger for s-polarized light than for p-polarized light at high angles of incidence.