Complex anisotropy and magnetization reversal on stepped surfaces probed by the magneto-optical Kerr effect

So-called split hysteresis loops have been measured for ultrathin ferromagnetic films grown on stepped surfaces. Since the shape of the loops is sensitive to the direction in which the magnetic field is applied with respect to the steps, the sample orientation against the field is particularly important. We performed systematic magneto-optical Kerr effect studies for 15 and 58 ML of Fe grown on Au(1,1,13). In view of the complex magnetic anisotropy of such systems we discuss representative hysteresis loops taken at sample orientations misaligned from the field (and laser beam) direction. In particular, the presence of a so-called low field component to the hysteresis loops is discussed and its reversed polarity is explained.     

Nickel nanofibers and nanowires: Elaboration by reduction in polyol medium assisted by external magnetic field

Nickel nanowires, with diameter 250 nm and a length of several microns, were prepared by the polyol process (chemical reduction) while an external magnetic field of 1.4 T has been applied during preparation. This combination has allowed the elaboration of Ni nanowires with a yield of over 90%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that these nanowires crystallize with the face-centered-cubic structure. Magnetic static measurements showed the effect on the nanoparticles’ morphology of the external magnetic field applied during the synthesis. They also allowed studying the effect of the external magnetic field on the magnetic properties of nanowires as a function of their orientation. When nanowires are aligned parallel with magnetic field, the hysteresis loop obtained is very open with a coercivity field (Hc) value of 385 Oe and a high remanence to saturation ratio Mr/Ms of 0.85.     

Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of CoFeCrSiB amorphous ribbons

In this paper we investigate the surface magnetic properties of as-quenched (AQ) CoFeCrBSi ribbons prepared by planar flow casting method with using magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE). Measured hysteresis loops in longitudinal and transversal configurations enable us to obtain the information of ribbons surface magnetic properties. Moreover, we suggest new magneto-optic method, which is based on measurements of magneto-optical effects depending on DC current flowing through the ribbon. Experimental data of AQ ribbons are then compared with the model, which describes the influence of incidence angle on magneto-optical angles.     

Interface effect on the magnetic properties of Ni-Ge bilayer films

Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of the Ni-Ge bilayer films are studied. The unusual temperature behavior of the magnetization curves is revealed: the hysteresis loops at room temperature have a near-rectangular shape; when the films are cooled down to 4.2 K, the coercive force increases by more than an order of magnitude and the asymmetry and displacement of the loop along the field axis are observed. These effects are stronger in thinner Ni layers. The observed features are attributed to the effect of the interlayer between the Ni and Ge layers, which has a complex magnetic structure.     

Exchange bias with Fe substitution in LaMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We observe the negative shift of the magnetic hysteresis loop at 5 K, while the sample is cooled in external magnetic field in case of 30% of Fe substitution in LaMnO₃. The negative shift and training effect of the hysteresis loops indicate the phenomenon of exchange bias. The cooling field dependence of the negative shift increases with the cooling field below 7.0 kOe and then, decreases with further increase of cooling field. The temperature dependence of the negative shift of the hysteresis loops exhibits that the negative shift decreases sharply with increasing temperature and vanishes above 20 K. Temperature dependence of dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements show a sharp peak (T_p) at 51 K and a shoulder (T_f) around 20 K. The relaxation of magnetization shows the ferromagnetic and glassy magnetic components in the relaxation process, which is in consistent with the cluster-glass compound.     

Magnetic properties of the noncollinear phase of a FeBO<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Mg single crystal

The magneto-optical method is used to investigate magnetization and low-frequency magnetic susceptibility curves of the FeBO₃ single crystal doped with diamagnetic Mg ions. It is demonstrated that substitution of a fraction of Fe ions by the Mg ions in the structure of this easy-plane weak ferromagnet causes a significant intraplane magnetocrystalline anisotropy at low temperatures as well as different forms of magnetic hysteresis loops and field dependences of the magnetic susceptibility recorded for different orientations of the external magnetic field relative to the basal crystal plane. The established special features of the FeBO₃:Mg magnetic properties are explained by the transition of the magnetic crystal from the uniform to spatially modulated state during technical magnetization.     

The influence of external magnetic field and femtosecond laser pulses on the anomalous Kerr loops in GdFeCo amorphous film

The anomalous loops obtained by applying the traditional Kerr loop technique, in which the sample was pumped by continuous pulses using the method of successive increment scanning external magnetic field, contained memory and accumulation effects originating, respectively, from external field history and multiple pulse excitations. To eliminate the memory effect and study the influence of external magnetic field on the anomalous loops, an initializing field scanning approach was used to replace the method of successive increment scanning external field. And to confirm the existence of accumulation effect and study the influence of pump pulses on the anomalous loops, a controllable pump-pulse-number magneto-optical Kerr technique was used to replace continuous pulses pump Kerr technique. In both ways, measured with different pump fluence and different pump pulses, the results showed clearly the dependence of the hot coercivity and the degree of magnetization reversal on the external field, pump pulse numbers and pump fluence.     

Effect of boron concentration on the magnetic properties of (FeCoNi) 100−xBx (x=15 and 20 wt%) nanowire arrays

The Fe_14.5Co_16.5Ni₅₅B₁₅ and the Fe₁₃Co_15.5Ni_51.5B₂₀ ferromagnetic nanowires were deposited using the electrochemical deposition method. The structure of these nanowires was investigated using X-ray diffraction. Squid magnetometer was used to investigate the magnetic behavior. The hysteresis loops of 50 μm long nanowire arrays were studied as a function of boron concentration, nanowire diameter and field orientation. The competition between shape anisotropy and magnetostatic interactions played a vital role in determining the magnetic field necessary to saturate an array. The decrease in coercive field (H_c) and the squareness (SQ) of the hysteresis loop from 100 to 200 nm wire diameter for both types of compositions suggests the formation of multidomains in the nanowire.     

Electroless synthesis of large scale Co-Zn-P nanowire arrays and the magnetic behaviour

Co-Zn-P nanowire arrays have been synthesized by electroless deposition in an anodic alumina membrane (AAM). The images of Co-Zn-P nanowire arrays and single nanowires are obtained by both scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectra (EDS) are employed to study the morphology and chemical composition of the nanowires. The results indicate that Co-Zn-P nanowire arrays are amorphous in structure. The hysteresis loops characterized by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) show that the easily magnetized direction of Co-Zn-P nanowire arrays is parallel to the nanowire arrays and that there exhibits clearly a magnetic anisotropy as a result of the shape anisotropy.     

Autocatalytic redox fabrication and magnetic studies of Co-Ni-P alloy nanowire arrays

Uniform and large-scale Co-Ni-P alloy nanowire arrays have been fabricated by autocatalytic redox reaction in an anodic alumina membrane (AAM). The images of Co-Ni-P alloy nanowire arrays and single nanowires are obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectra (EDS) are employed to study the morphology and chemical composition of the nanowires. The results indicate that the Co-Ni-P nanowire arrays are amorphous in structure. The magnetic property of Co-Ni-P nanowire arrays is characterized using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The hysteresis loops show that the easily magnetized direction of Co-Ni-P nanowire arrays is parallel to the nanowire arrays and that it has obvious magnetic anisotropy as a result of the shape anisotropy.     

Dynamical properties of magnetization reversal in an ultrathin AuCo film

We present a dynamical study of hysteresis loops of a MoS₂/[Au/Co/Au] sandwich performed by surface magneto-optical Kerr effect with a field variation rate up to 1.2 MOe/s. An interpretation of dynamical effects at room temperature is proposed, using a modelization of the magnetization reversal. We discuss simulations which describe two different processes of the magnetization reversal to interpret the evolution of the hysteresis loops for several rates of variation of the magnetic field. For a first range of field variation rates lower than 180 kOe/s, the predominant mechanism seems to be wall motion and beyond 180 kOe/s, an expression for the magnetization is given, which supposes micro-domains reversal as a prevailing process. Finally, the general behaviour of the relaxation time, depending on the magnetic field, is investigated.     

Magnetization reversal of micropattern Fe bar array: Combination of vector and Bragg magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements

We report on a magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) investigation of alternating wide and narrow Fe bars, forming a two-dimensional periodic array. The magnetization reversal was studied by regular longitudinal Vector-MOKE in specular geometry as well as in Bragg-MOKE geometry, using the diffraction spots from the grating for hysteresis measurements. With Vector-MOKE a two-step switching process for the wide and narrow Fe bars is observed, indicative for a narrow switching field distribution in this array. In addition, hysteresis loops were determined as a function of the diffraction order for the hard and easy axis direction. The loops at different orders of diffraction can qualitatively and quantitatively be described by Fourier transformations of micromagnetic simulations.     

Fabrication and magnetic properties of cobalt nanorod arrays containing a number of ultrafine nanowires electrodeposited within an AAO/SBA-15 template

Arrays of cobalt nanorods consisting of a number of nanowires have been fabricated by the electrochemical method using an anodic-aluminum oxide (AAO)/mesoporous-silica (SBA-15) composite. Microscopic studies clearly display that each nanorod (with a diameter of ∼200 nm) of the array was consisting of a number of cobalt nanowires which exhibit an average diameter of 3 nm. The observed hysteresis loops measured at room temperature indicate that the magnetic shape anisotropy of cobalt mesostructures, i.e. the parallel and perpendicular squarenesses of 0.5 and 0.1, respectively have been estimated. The maximum value of the coercivity measured perpendicular to the sample axis shows a value of 330 Oe and it was found that the coercivity decreases by increasing the temperature which is possibly caused by thermal disturbance inside the arrays.     

Asymmetrically shaped hysteresis loop in exchange-biased FeNi/FeMn film

The magnetization reversal of the bilayer polycrystalline FeNi(50 Å)/FeMn(50 Å) film sputtered in a magnetic field has been studied by magnetic and magneto-optical techniques. The external magnetic fields were applied along the easy or hard magnetization axis of the ferromagnetic permalloy layer. The asymmetry of hysteresis loop has been found. Appreciable asymmetry and the exchange bias were observed only in the field applied along the easy axis. The specific features of magnetization reversal were explained within the phenomenological model that involves high-order exchange anisotropy and misalignment of the easy axes of the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers. It has been shown that the film can exist in one of three equilibrium magnetic states in the field applied along the easy axis. The transitions between these states occur as first-order phase transitions. The observed hysteresis loop asymmetry is related to the existence of the metastable state.     

Magnetic behavior and domain structure in as-quenched, annealed, and stress-annealed CoFeCrSiB ribbons

Combination of magneto-optical (MO) vector magnetometry and magneto-optical Kerr microscopy is used to investigate the surface magnetic properties of amorphous CoFeCrSiB ribbons. Strongly inhomogeneous magnetic behavior of ribbons in as-quenched state is improved by field-annealing and stress-annealing processes that induce weak uniaxial longitudinal and transverse anisotropy. It was shown that values of coercive and anisotropy field increase with increasing annealing temperature. Inclination of easy axis from the ribbon axis is estimated by comparing the measured surface hysteresis loops with the Stoner–Wohlfarth model, and is supported also by the Kerr microscopy. Method with the current flowing through the ribbon is proposed for magnetic domains observations.     

Magnetic-field behavior of heterogeneous magnetic materials

Results on the investigation of the magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Co/Ni/Fe and Fe/Zr/Fe thin-film systems are presented. The study of the magnetic properties of the examined samples was carried out employing magneto-optical micromagnetometer with a surface sensitivity about of 20 nm of the thickness depth and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The examined samples were revealed to exhibit hysteresis loops of complicated forms. These data were explained by the magnetostatic and exchange interactions between the layers in heterogeneous magnetic materials.     

Magnetooptical absorption of a molecular crystal in the exciton frequency range

Nonlinear absorption of a molecular crystal in an external magnetic field is considered. The exciton absorption shape functions under polarized laser radiation and a weak magnetic field, as well as the mechanisms responsible for the formation of a hysteresis loop in the dependence of the output light intensity on the applied magnetic field, were studied for the particular case of benzene. It was established that, for the magnetooptical response of the molecular crystal under study, the formation of bistable loops is inverse in character, which makes it possible to monitor and control the behavior of bistable elements in optical logics systems with an external magnetic field at a fixed illumination frequency.     

铁磁球/反铁磁纳米体系磁滞回线的Monte Carlo模拟

利用经典Heisenberg模型和Monte Carlo方法研究外磁场和反铁磁磁晶各向异性、交换相互作用对铁磁球均匀嵌入到反铁磁基体中的铁磁/反铁磁纳米体系磁滞回线的影响.模拟结果显示,外加反向最大磁场不同时,磁滞回线形状不同.当磁场正向增加时,体系的磁化强度会产生一个跃变,但跃变高度与反向场最大值无关.反铁磁磁晶各向异性越大,体系的交换偏置现象越明显,且磁化强度回到饱和值所需的外磁场越大.随着反铁磁基体交换相互作用的增大,在正向和负向磁场区域还可能出现新的磁滞现象.     

Fabrication and Mossbauer Study of FeCo Alloy Nanotube Array

Arrays of FeCo nanotubes are fabricated in the pores of porous anodic aluminium oxide templates. Transmission electron microscopic result shows that the nanotubes are regular and uniform. Magnetic hysteresis loops measured at room temperature are different from those of nanowires with the same composition, which are caused by the unique shape of nanotubes. The M6ssbauer spectra show that the hyperfine field is smaller than that of the bulk＇s and increases with decrease of measuring temperature. However, the areas of the doublets appeared in M6ssbauer spectra decrease with decrease of measuring temperature.     

Recent advances in studies of magnetically soft amorphous microwires

In this paper, we present the giant magneto-impedance (GMI) effect (real part of longitudinal impedance, Z, and of the off-diagonal impedance) and hysteretic magnetic properties of amorphous glass-coated microwires with different compositions possessing nearly zero, positive and negative magnetostriction constant and metallic nucleus diameter ranging between 6 and 16 μm. Enhanced soft magnetic properties (low coercivity of about 4 A/m) and high-GMI effect have been observed in Co-rich microwires with vanishing magnetostriction constant. The magnetic anisotropy field of these microwires depends on the ratio between metallic diameter, d and total microwires diameter, D. Stress-sensitive magnetic properties have been obtained in Fe-rich microwires after stress annealing: hysteresis loop stress-annealed (SA) microwires drastically changes under applied stress. A variety of hysteresis loops with different hysteresis loops can be obtained in Fe-rich microwires changing the conditions (time and/or temperature) of the stress annealing. The obtained results allow us to tailor the microwire magnetic properties for magnetic sensors applications through selection of their composition and/or geometry and by thermal treatment.