2009/06/25 by J. E. Davies, O. Hellwig, E. E. Fullerton +3 · 2 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Magnetic properties of thin films #Shape Memory Alloy Transformations #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1063/1.3179553
published as Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 022505 (2009) · 13 pages, 3 figures, to appear in APL
arxiv created 2009/06/25 · openalex publication_date 2009/07/13 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We report microscopic mechanisms for an unusual magnetization reversal behavior in Co/Pt multilayers where some of the first-order reversal curves protrude outside of the major loop. Transmission x-ray microscopy reveals a fragmented stripe domain topography when the magnetic field is reversed prior to saturation, in contrast to an interconnected pattern when reversing from a saturated state. The different domain nucleation and propagation behaviors are due to unannihilated domains from the prior field sweep. These residual domains contribute to random dipole fields that impede the subsequent domain growth and prevent domains from growing as closely together as for the interconnected pattern.