Transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect of Fe at the 2p excitation threshold

The transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) was investigated for thin epitaxial Fe films grown on Ag(0 0 1) in the region of the 2p excitation threshold. The experimental reflectivity and asymmetry spectra are compared to those derived from the complex dielectric function tensor calculated by using the first-principles spin-polarized relativistic band theory. We found that the T-MOKE asymmetry in general is a mixture of both the real and imaginary parts of the off-diagonal element of the dielectric function tensor, depending sensitively on the relative magnitudes of real and imaginary parts of the diagonal element. For angles of incidence larger than about 5° the influence of the Ag-substrate is significant. The major features in experimental and calculated reflectivity and asymmetry spectra are in agreement.