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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
We present an electromagnetic enhancement mechanism for the magneto-optical response of noble metal / ferromagnetic metal multilayer thin films. When such a structure is illuminated in total reflection condition, the resonant coupling of light with the noble metal surface plasmons gives rise to an amplification of the magneto-optically induced component of the light electric field. The experimental results obtained on a 30nm-thick Au / Co / Au model system show that this resonant feature observed in the Kerr rotation and ellipticity corresponds to a strong enhancement of the magneto-optical figure of merit and signal-to-noise ratio.