Optically controlled magnetic-field etching on the nano-scale.

Electric and magnetic fields play an important role in both chemical and physical reactions. However, since the coupling efficiency between magnetic fields and electrons is low in comparison with that between electric fields and electrons in the visible wavelength region, the magnetic field is negligible in photo-induced reactions. Here, we performed photo-etching of ZrO nano-stripe structures, and identified an etching-property polarisation dependence.