Decrypting the cyclotron effect in graphite using Kerr rotation spectroscopy

We measure the far-infrared magneto-optical Kerr rotation and reflectivity spectra of graphite and achieve a highly accurate unified microscopic description of all data in a broad range of magnetic fields by taking rigorously the cc-axis band dispersion and the trigonal warping into account. We find that the second- and the forth-order cyclotron harmonics are optically almost as strong as the fundamental resonance even at high fields. They must play, therefore, a major role in magneto-optical and magneto-plasmonic applications based on Bernal stacked graphite and multilayer graphene.

► Kerr rotation spectroscopy combines the advantages of broadband spectroscopy and a sensitivity to the charge carrier type.
► Tight-binding model describes very well magneto-optical spectra of graphite.
► The spectral weight of the high-order cyclotron resonances due to trigonal warping in graphite is very strong.