Switching Faraday rotation on a molecular level

In this work we present measurements of the switching of the Faraday effect in metal-organic compounds. Faraday rotation is the rotation of the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light under the influence of a magnetic field in the direction of propagation of the light. It is the magnetic equivalent of circular birefringence and is related to magnetic circular dichroism via the Kramers-Kronig transformation. The Faraday effect is used in optical isolators and magnetic sensors.status: publishe