Open Access

Felix Schilberth

• Topological magnets exhibit fascinating properties like protected surface states or anomalous transport phenomena. Theoretically, these effects can be significantly manipulated by the magnetic state. However, experimental verification of such predictions remains challenging, due to the necessity to obtain direct spectroscopic information about specific bands. In this thesis, I demonstrate that magneto–optical spectroscopy is a suitable tool to investigate topological band structures. I show that broadband magneto–optical Kerr effect measurements allow to pinpoint Berry curvature hotspots in the Brillouin zone that are responsible for the generation of the anomalous Hall effect, thereby separating its intrinsic and scattering contributions. Furthermore, I demonstrate that the knowledge gained in these experiments can be used to monitor the manipulation of topological bands, even under high external magnetic fields. This approach opens exciting avenues for investigating materials withTopological magnets exhibit fascinating properties like protected surface states or anomalous transport phenomena. Theoretically, these effects can be significantly manipulated by the magnetic state. However, experimental verification of such predictions remains challenging, due to the necessity to obtain direct spectroscopic information about specific bands. In this thesis, I demonstrate that magneto–optical spectroscopy is a suitable tool to investigate topological band structures. I show that broadband magneto–optical Kerr effect measurements allow to pinpoint Berry curvature hotspots in the Brillouin zone that are responsible for the generation of the anomalous Hall effect, thereby separating its intrinsic and scattering contributions. Furthermore, I demonstrate that the knowledge gained in these experiments can be used to monitor the manipulation of topological bands, even under high external magnetic fields. This approach opens exciting avenues for investigating materials with complex magnetic structures and even to study the interplay of real– and momentum–space topological states, e.g. in skyrmion–lattice systems.…