Figure 1

(Color online) Top: schematic view of the sample configuration. If the light is incident from the left, no SPP excitation occurs; if light is incident from the right the prism allows SPP excitation (Kretschman configuration). [(a)–(d)] Experimental behavior of the reflectivity $R_{pp}$ and transverse Kerr signal $\Delta R_{pp}∕R_{pp}$ as a function of the incidence angle for the $4.7\mathrm{nm}$ Co trilayer sample. No surface plasmon modes are excited in the left hand panels, whereas the right hand panels show the corresponding data with SPP excitation; (e) and (f) correspond to experimental (dots) and theoretical values (solid line, see text) of the transverse Kerr signal intensity as a function of the Co layer thickness, without (e) and with (f) SPP excitation.Reuse & Permissions

Figure 2

(Color online) Variation in reflectivity (circles) and the derivative of the reflectivity (triangles) for two different samples with Co thicknesses of (a) 2.7 and (b) $7.7\mathrm{nm}$. The sharp dip observed in the derivative of the reflectivity at $40\mathrm{deg}$ corresponds to the onset of total internal reflection. (c) Angular shift of the minimum in reflectivity as a function of Co thickness. The circles correspond to the experimental values of $\Delta \theta$ as defined in the text. The line is a theoretical calculation. The inset shows the angular shift observed in the $6\mathrm{nm}$ thick Co sample.Reuse & Permissions

Figure 3

(Color online) Contour plots of (a) $\mid r_{pp}\left(0\right)\mid$, (b) $\mid r_{pp}(+1)-r_{pp}(-1)\mid$, and (c) $\Delta R_{pp}∕R_{pp}$ as function of incidence angle and Co thickness in the Kretschmann configuration.Reuse & Permissions