2023/09/18 by Riccardo Battistelli, Battistelli, Riccardo, Daniel Metternich +29 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Advanced X-ray Imaging Techniques #FOS: Physical sciences #Magnetic properties of thin films #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2309.09964
openalex publication_date 2023/09/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Soft x-ray microscopy plays an important role in modern spintronics. However, the achievable resolution of most x-ray magnetic imaging experiments is above 10 nm, limiting access to fundamental and technologically relevant length scales. Here, we demonstrate x-ray magnetic microscopy with 5 nm resolution by combining holography-assisted coherent diffractive imaging with heterodyne amplification of the weak magnetic signal. The gain in resolution and contrast allows direct access to key magnetic properties, including domain wall profiles and the position of pinning sites. The ability to detect and map such properties with photons opens new horizons for element-specific, time-resolved, and in-operando research on magnetic materials and beyond.