title: Oscillatory spin polarization and magneto-optical Kerr effect in Fe₃O₄ thin films on GaAs(001).
abstract: The spin dependent properties of epitaxial Fe₃O₄ thin films on GaAs(001) are studied by the ferromagnetic proximity polarization (FPP) effect and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). Both FPP and MOKE show oscillations with respect to Fe₃O₄ film thickness, and the oscillations are large enough to induce repeated sign reversals. We attribute the oscillatory behavior to spin-polarized quantum well states forming in the Fe₃O₄ film. Quantum confinement of the t(2g) states near the Fermi level provides an explanation for the similar thickness dependences of the FPP and MOKE oscillations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pi
authors.forename: J J I
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Awschalom
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kawakami