Magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometer for the analysis of magnetic domain wall dynamics

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© 2011 AIP Publishing. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the authors and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Review of Scientific Instruments, Volume 82, Issue 10 and may be found at http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/rsi/82/10/10.1063/1.3647313.

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Science | A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2011

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

103901/1-6

Series

Review of Scientific Instruments, Volume 82, Issue 10

Abstract

Domain wall dynamics in thin magnetic films with perpendicular and in-plane anisotropy is studied using a novel magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry method. The method allows for measurements of domain wall motion under ac field excitation and the analysis of dynamic modes as a function of driving frequency and magnetic field amplitude. Domain wall dynamics in the perpendicular anisotropy system, a Co/Pt multilayer, is characterized by thermally activated creep motion. For this dynamic mode, a polydispersivity exponent of β = 0.50 ± 0.03 is derived at small excitation energy, which is in excellent agreement with theoretical models. The dynamics of the other system, a Co wire with transverse uniaxial anisotropy, is dominated by viscous slide motion in a regular magnetic stripe pattern. Analytical expressions are derived for this magnetic configuration and by using these expressions, accurate values for the depinning field and the domain wall mobility are extracted from the susceptibility measurements.

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Keywords

magneto-optics, domain wall dynamics

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Citation

Kataja, Mikko & van Dijken, Sebastiaan. 2011. Magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometer for the analysis of magnetic domain wall dynamics. Review of Scientific Instruments. Volume 82, Issue 10. 103901/1-6. ISSN 0034-6748 (printed). DOI: 10.1063/1.3647313