Surface polaritons on magnetic insulators

Abstract The influence of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling on surface polaritons formed in ionic crystals with magnetic order described by a simplest model of scalar dielectric, magnetic and ME coefficients is analyzed. It is shown that ME coupling leads to degeneration of two TE and TM polarized waves into a single wave of mixed polarization. The same effect may be found in magnetics without ME coupling under a strong magnetic field in the Faraday geometry.