  The inverse Faraday effect is an opto-magnetic phenomenon that describes the
ability of circularly polarized light to induce magnetism in solids. The
capability of light to control magnetic order in solid state materials and
devices is of interest for a variety of applications, such as magnetic
recording, quantum computation and spintronic technologies. However,
significant gaps in understanding about the effect persist, such as what
material properties govern the magnitude of the effect in metals. In this work,
we report time-resolved measurements of the specular inverse Faraday effect in
non-magnetic metals, i.e., the magneto-optic Kerr effect induced by circularly
polarized light. We measure this specular inverse Faraday effect in Cu, Pd, Pt,
W, Ta, and Au at a laser wavelength of 783 nm. For Ta and W, we investigate
both {\alpha} and \{beta} phases. We observe that excitation of these metals
with circularly polarized light induces significant circular dichroism. This
nonlinear magneto-optical response to circularly polarized light is an order of
magnitude larger in {\alpha}-W than other metals, e.g., Pt, Au, and is greater
than nearly all other reported values for IFE in other materials. Our results
benchmark the range of IFE that can be observed in non-magnetic metals and
provide insight into what material properties govern the inverse Faraday effect
in metals.
