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I. Reichl, A. Vernes, P. Weinberger, L. Szunyogh, C. Sommers:
"Reorientation transition in Fe_n/Au(100)";
Physical Review B, 71 (2005), 214416-1 - 214416-5.

Experimental investigations and theoretical magnetic anisotropy energy calculations show a reorientation
transition of the magnetization in Fen/Aus100d from a normal-to-plane to an in-plane direction at about three
monolayers of Fe. In the present paper the magneto-optical properties of this system are investigated theoretically
by using the spin-polarized relativistic screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method, the Kubo-Greenwood
equation for finite photon frequencies, and a classical optical approach that takes into account all reflections
and interferences. By varying the thickness of the Fe film, the reorientation of the ground-state magnetization
is clearly traced as a strong decrease in the calculated Kerr rotation angles for oblique incidence of light. For
all film thicknesses under consideration, it is found that by continuously varying the angle of the incident light
the Kerr rotation angle reaches a maximum at an incidence of about 70°. In the case of normal incidence a
direct proportionality of the Kerr angles to the normal component of the magnetization is demonstrated by
changing the orientation of the magnetization. When relating Kerr angles as calculated for a set of angles
between the surface normal and the orientation of the magnetization to the corresponding magnetic anisotropy
energy a very compact description of the occurring reorientation transition can be given. Moreover, based on
these data and using a simple phenomenological picture a qualitative description of the Kerr angles with
respect to applied external fields is provided.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.71.214416 PACS numberssd: 77.22.Ch, 78.20.Bh, 78.20.Ci, 78.20.Ls

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