Enhancement of the magnetic modulation of surface plasmon polaritons in Au/Co/Au films

The deposition of a dielectric overlayer on top of Au/Co/Au multilayer films can significantly enhance the magnetic field induced modulation of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wave vector. This enhancement is analyzed as a function of the thickness of the dielectric overlayer and the associated SPP electromagnetic field confinement and redistribution. The decrease in SPP propagation distance is taken into account by analyzing an adequate figure of merit. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3512874]