In optics, the inverse Faraday effect is the effect opposite to the Faraday effect. A static magnetization is induced by an external oscillating electrical field with the frequency , which can be achieved with a high intensity laser pulse for example. The induced magnetization is proportional to the vector product of and :
From this equation we see that the circularly polarized light with the frequency should induce a magnetization along the wave vector . Because is in the vector product, left- and right-handed polarization waves should induce magnetization of opposite signs.
The induced magnetization is comparable to the saturated magnetization of the media.
References
Rodriguez, V.; Verreault, D.; Adamietz, F.; Kalafatis, A. "All-Optical Measurements of the Verdet Constant in Achiral and Chiral Liquids: Toward All-Optical Magnetic Spectroscopies". ACS Photonics 2022, 9, 7, 2510–2519. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.2c00720