ArticleKumar N, Strikwerda AC, Fan K, Zhang X, Averitt RD, Planken PC, Adam AJ.
Opt Express. 2012 May 07;20(10):11277-87.
We report on direct measurements of the magnetic near-field of metamaterial split ring resonators at terahertz frequencies using a magnetic field sensitive material. Specifically, planar split ring resonators are fabricated on a single magneto-optically active terbium gallium garnet crystal. Normally incident terahertz radiation couples to the resonator inducing a magnetic dipole oscillating perpendicular to the crystal surface. Faraday rotation of the polarisation of a near-infrared probe beam directly measures the magnetic near-field with 100 femtosecond temporal resolution and (λ/200) spatial resolution. Numerical simulations suggest that the magnetic field can be enhanced in the plane of the resonator by as much as a factor of 200 compared to the incident field strength. Our results provide a route towards hybrid devices for dynamic magneto-active control of light such as isolators, and highlight the utility of split ring resonators as compact probes of magnetic phenomena in condensed matter.