Design and Implementation of a Microscope Based on Magneto-Optic Effects

When light passes through a medium that is subjected to a strong magnetic field, its polarization state may change due to magneto-optic effects such as Faraday rotation. An imaging system based on this polarization change is designed and constructed. The imaging system is built around a magnetic pulse field generator and able to detect polarization change of the incident light due to magneto-optic effects. An automated scheme is implemented using LabView. The program is developed to integrate all hardware and conduct multiple measurements automatically to enhance sensitivity. Basic testing measurements are conducted to evaluate the performance of the system. A metal film made of 50nm thick nickel and aluminum layer is tested and preliminary results are presented. Apart from the final design and experimental results, problems about laser imaging, system vibration and an early design using simple concave lens are also discussed. While no system can be universally ideal for all kinds of samples, an attempt is made to discuss ideal samples for imaging and how the performance may be affected by other types of samples. Various possible future improvements are also discussed and prioritized.