NONLINEAR MAGNETOOPTICAL ROTATION IN CALCIUM - THEORY AND EXPERIMENT

Theoretical and experimental studies of nonlinear magneto-optical rota tion in the principal series of calcium are reported. These are believ ed to be the first experiments on high magnetic field Faraday rotation (defined as achieving rotation angles of the order of pi or more) in which the nonlinear optical regime has been entered by using laser fie lds. The present theory is valid both in the linear and nonlinear doma ins and our theoretical predictions which take into account propagatio n effects agree very well with experimental results over the entire ra nge of laser strengths.