Intrinsic limit of magneto-optical isolators because of magnetic circular dichroism.
The behavior of an optical isolator based on the Faraday effect of an absorbing magneto-optical material is analyzed, taking into account the effect of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD). MCD is indissolubly connected with Faraday rotation and limits the maximum obtainable isolation ratio through elliptization of the polarization of the incident beam. A formula is derived to calculate this effect and applied to a practical example.
Milani
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