Magnetization-Induced Second Harmonic Generation From Surfaces and Ultrathin Films

Abstract Optical second harmonic generation (SHG) and nonlinear optics in general became a rapidly growing field of research soon after the invention of the laser by Maiman in 1960. In the following years it was concentrated on nonlinear light generation in bulk materials. Starting in the 1980s the potential of second harmonic and sum frequency generation was explored in the investigation of surfaces and adsorbed molecules.