Soft X-ray resonant Kerr rotation measurement and simulation of element-resolved and interface-sensitive magnetization reversals in a NiFe/FeMn/Co trilayer structure

We report experimental observations of element- and buried interface-resolved magnetization reversals in an oppositely exchange-biased NiFeFeMnCo trilayer structure by soft x-ray resonant Kerr rotation measurements. Not only Co-, Ni-, Fe-specific exchange-biased loops but also interfacial uncompensated (UC) Fe reversal loops coupled to the individual Co and NiFe layers are separately observed. From the experimental results interpreted with the help of the model simulations of soft x-ray resonant Kerr rotation, the effective thicknesses of interfacial UC regions at the buried interfaces of both FeMnCo and NiFeFeMn are found to be tUC =13??2 A and 6??4 A, respectively. The depth sensitivity as well as element specificity of the x-ray resonant Kerr effect offer an elegant way into the investigations of element- and depth-resolved magnetization reversals of ferromagnetic ultrathin regions at buried interfaces in multicomponent multilayer films.open91

Disorder-induced microscopic magnetic memory

Using coherent x-ray speckle metrology, we have measured the influence of disorder on major loop return point memory (RPM) and complementary point memory (CPM) for a series of perpendicular anisotropy Co/Pt multilayer films. In the low disorder limit, the domain structures show no memory with field cycling--no RPM and no CPM. With increasing disorder, we observe the onset and the saturation of both the RPM and the CPM. These results provide the first direct ensemble-sensitive experimental study of the effects of varying disorder on microscopic magnetic memory and are compared against the predictions of existing theories.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters in Nov. 200

Performance of the elliptically polarizing undulator on SPEAR

This is a description of the first tests of the Elliptically Polarizing Undulator (EPU) on the SPEAR storage ring at SSRL. The EPU is the first device of its type; it is capable of producing plane polarized light in the vertical and horizontal, and right and left circularly polarized light in the 500-1000 eV range. Tests of the EPU were done to characterize its effect on the electron beam in SPEAR. Even at minimum gap, motion of the EPU magnets to vary the polarization of the output radiation caused negligible changes in the tune or the steering of the electron beam, even with no compensation of the steering trim coils. We also measured the polarization of x-rays generated by the EPU using a newly developed multilayer polarimeter built to be efficient in the EPU`s energy range. The EPU produces nearly 100% plane and circularly polarized x-rays. Using left and right circularly polarized radiation, we also performed tests of magnetic circular dichroism on magnetic multilayers

Disorder-induced magnetic memory: Experiments and theories

Beautiful theories of magnetic hysteresis based on random microscopic disorder have been developed over the past ten years. Our goal was to directly compare these theories with precise experiments. We first developed and then applied coherent x-ray speckle metrology to a series of thin multilayer perpendicular magnetic materials. To directly observe the effects of disorder, we deliberately introduced increasing degrees of disorder into our films. We used coherent x-rays to generate highly speckled magnetic scattering patterns. The apparently random arrangement of the speckles is due to the exact configuration of the magnetic domains in the sample. In effect, each speckle pattern acts as a unique fingerprint for the magnetic domain configuration. Small changes in the domain structure change the speckles, and comparison of the different speckle patterns provides a quantitative determination of how much the domain structure has changed. How is the magnetic domain configuration at one point on the major hysteresis loop related to the configurations at the same point on the loop during subsequent cycles? The microscopic return-point memory(RPM) is partial and imperfect in the disordered samples, and completely absent when the disorder was not present. We found the complementary-point memory(CPM) is also partial and imperfect in the disordered samples and completely absent when the disorder was not present. We found that the RPM is always a little larger than the CPM. We also studied the correlations between the domains within a single ascending or descending loop. We developed new theoretical models that do fit our experiments.Comment: 26 pages, 25 figures, Accepted by Physical Review B 01/25/0

Theory of Room Temperature Ferromagnet V(TCNE)_x (1.5 < x < 2): Role of Hidden Flat Bands

Theoretical studies on the possible origin of room temperature ferromagnetism (ferromagnetic once crystallized) in the molecular transition metal complex, V(TCNE)_x (1.5<x<2) have been carried out. For this family, there have been no definite understanding of crystal structure so far because of sample quality, though the effective valence of V is known to be close to +2. Proposing a new crystal structure for the stoichiometric case of x=2, where the valence of each TCNE molecule is -1 and resistivity shows insulating behavior, exchange interaction among d-electrons on adjacent V atoms has been estimated based on the cluster with 3 vanadium atoms and one TCNE molecule. It turns out that Hund's coupling among d orbitals within the same V atoms and antiferromagnetic coupling between d oribitals and LUMO of TCNE (bridging V atoms) due to hybridization result in overall ferromagnetism (to be precise, ferrimagnetism). This view based on localized electrons is supplemented by the band picture, which indicates the existence of a flat band expected to lead to ferromagnetism as well consistent with the localized view. The off-stoichiometric cases (x<2), which still show ferromagnetism but semiconducting transport properties, have been analyzed as due to Anderson localization.Comment: Accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol.79 (2010), No. 3 (March issue), in press; 6 pages, 8 figure

Role of B on grain sizes and magnetic correlation lengths in recording media as determined by soft X-ray scattering

We have measured the chemical grain sizes and magnetic correlation lengths in CoCrbased magnetic recording media films using resonant soft x -ray small-angle scattering. We find that the addition of B, while leading to slightly smaller physical grains, dramatically reduces the magnetic correlation length. These results show that B additions effectively act to suppress intergranular magnetic exchange via segregation to the grain boundaries

Bonding, Backbonding, and Spin-Polarized Molecular Orbitals:Basis for Magnetism and Semiconducting Transport in V[TCNE]x~;;2

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) at the V L2,3 and C and N K edges reveal bonding/backbonding interactions in films of the 400 K magnetic semiconductor V[TCNE]x~;;2. In V spectra, dxy-like orbitals are modeled assuming V2+ in an octahedral ligand field, while dz2 and dx2-y2 orbitals involved in strong covalent bonding cannot be modeled by atomic calculations. C and N MCD, and differences in XAS from neutral TCNE molecules, reveal spin-polarized molecular orbitals in V[TCNE]x~;;2 associated with backbonding interactions that yield its novel properties

Vortex-antivortex assisted magnetization dynamics in a semi-continuous thin-film model system studied by micromagnetic simulations

We have studied magnetization M dynamics in a semicontinuous 33-nm -thick Fe model system, which approaches new equilibrium states under various magnetic fields, H=0, -1, -10, and -30 Oe, starting from an initial M configuration of complex microstructures experimentally observed in a real continuous Fe film. Simulation results with H=0 clearly reveal that small needle-shaped domains and ripple structures found in a frozen state of the demagnetized Fe film continue to grow far into a surrounding 180?? domain, and that zigzag folding structures appear through the M dynamic evolution assisted by vortex and antivortex. Furthermore, it is found that many domain walls of a cross-tie type exhibit their dynamic developments under H=-10 and -30 Oe, caused by interactions between vortex and antivortex states. This vortex-antivortex assisted M dynamic evolution offers deeper insights into the comprehensive understanding of the static or dynamic properties of M reversal processes as well as additional features or more details of magnetic microstructures in real continuous films.open141