the hysteresis cycle is even with respect to the magnetization, which is a signature of the Voigt effect. This cycle was obtained with a light incidence very close to normal, and it also exhibits a small odd part; a correct treatment has to be carried out in order to extract the symmetric part of the hysteresis corresponding to the Voigt effect, and the asymmetric part corresponding to the longitudinal Kerr effect. In the case of the hysteresis presented here, the field was applied along the [1-10] direction. The switching mechanism is as follows: We start with a high negative field and the magnetization is close to the [-1-10] direction at position 1. The magnetic field is decreasing leading to a coherent magnetization rotation from 1 to 2 At positive field, the magnetization switch brutally from 2 to 3 by nucleation and propagation of magnetic domains giving a first coercive field named here The magnetization stay close to the state 3 while rotating coherently to the state 4, closer from the applied field direction. Again the magnetization switches abruptly from 4 to 5 by nucleation and propagation of magnetic domains. This switching is due to the fact that the final equilibrium position is closer from the state 5 with respect to the state 4 (and so his magnetic energy is lower). This gives another coercive field named Finally the magnetization rotates coherently from the state 5 to the state 6. The simulation of this scenario is given in the figure 2, with As one can see, the simulated hysteresis is qualitatively the same with respect to the experimental one. Notice that the amplitude at or are approximately twice of See also Atomic line filter Cotton–Mouton effect Faraday effect References Further reading Zhao, Zhong-Quan. Excited state atomic line filters. Retrieved March 26, 2006. Magneto-optic effects Polarization (waves)