Magnetization reversal of Fe ultrathin film on Cu(100)

The magnetization reversal of Fe/Cu(100) ultrathin films grown atroom temperature is investigated by using an in situmagneto-optical Kerr effect polarimeter with a magnet that canrotate in a plane of incidence. There occur spin reorientationtransitions from out-of-plane to in-plane magnetizations in 8 and 12monolayers (ML) thick iron films. The coercive fields are observedto be proportional to the reciprocal of the cosine with respect tothe easy axis, suggesting that the domain-wall displacement plays amain role in the magnetization reversal process.