Laser heterodyne cross-polarized technique for inspection of magnetic disks

Abstract A new optical technique for observation of service magnetic tracks on magnetic disks is developed. Weak depolarization of the probe beam due to longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect is detected by means of heterodyne mixing of the two cross-polarized and frequency shifted waves generated by Zeeman-type laser. In comparison with the traditional homodyne method the proposed technique has better sensitivity and spatial resolution. Experimental results obtained with standard sample magnetic disks showed the signal-to-noise ratio of about 10, and the spatial resolution of about 30 μm. A possibility of the phase-contrast super-resolution is discussed.