Experimental verification of the reflection matrix description in linear magneto-optics

The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) is described by a dielectric tensor $ϵ$ that contains magnetization dependent terms, whose impact on reflected light is solved as an electromagnetic boundary problem. Corresponding solutions for the Jones-type reflection matrix $R$ have been known for decades, but have not been rigorously confirmed in experiments. Here, the authors have verified that the MOKE coefficients of $R$ describe an ellipsoid (ellipse) for a random three-dimensional (two-dimensional) magnetization vector as predicted. The experiments accomplish the simultaneous measurements of all $R$ components through generalized magneto-optical ellipsometry.