Performance of transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect in double-positive, double-negative and single-negative bi-gyrotropic metamaterials

Abstract The properties of optimized transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) of all-types of bi-gyrotropic metamaterials have been investigated and compared for both s- and p-polarized waves. We demonstrated that double-positive and double-negative ones are capable of achieving maximum TMOKEs, but with the opposite signs. On the other hand, single-negative metamaterials could not provide large TMOKE. In addition, a giant TMOKE can be observed in a special case of metamaterials whose are exhibiting near-zero refractive index. A large TMOKE response is important for applications in magneto-optical data storage and high-definition imaging.