We have experimentally and theoretically investigated the dependence of the intrinsic Gilbert damping parameter α0 on the spin-orbital coupling strength ξ by using L10 ordered FePd1−xPtx ternary alloy films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. With the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect, α0 is found to increase by more than a factor of ten when x varies from 0 to 1.0. Since changes of other leading parameters are found to be neglected, the α0 has for the first time been proven to be proportional to ξ 2 .

A proximity effect of spin orbit coupling (SOC) is proposed in nonmagnetic metal/ferromagnet (NM/FM) bilayers by extending the Crépieux-Bruno (CB) theory. We demonstrate that over 1000% enhancement of the SOC strength can be realized based on this effect (Pt/FM bilayers) and it brings greatly enhanced anomalous Hall effect and anomalous Nernst effect. This work could help maximize the performance of magnetic transport property for the spintronics device using NM/FM as the key structure.