Millimeter-wave Faraday rotation from ferromagnetic nanowires

Nickel nanowires embedded in track-etched polycarbonate membrane filters have been used to impart Faraday rotation on millimeter wave signals with frequencies of 61.25 GHz. A customized apparatus for measuring Faraday rotation was designed and built using quasi-optical components. Experiments were performed to rule out the possibility of measuring reciprocal polarization rotation due to birefringence. Experiments were also performed to ensure that the non-reciprocal polarization rotation, attributed to the Faraday effect, had direct proportionality to the strength of a static magnetic field applied in the direction of the millimeter wave propagation.