Real-time observation of domain fluctuations in a two-dimensional magnetic model system.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25902073.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms7832 and PMC identifier 4423231.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Domain patterns of perpendicularly magnetized ultra-thin ferromagnetic films are often determined by the competition of the short range but strong exchange interaction favouring ferromagnetic alignment of magnetic moments and the long range but weak antiferromagnetic dipolar interaction. Detailed phase diagrams of the resulting stripe domain patterns have been evaluated in recent years; however, the domain fluctuations in these pattern forming systems have not been studied in great detail so far. Here we show that domain fluctuations can be observed in ultra-thin two-dimensional ferromagnetic Fe/Ni/Cu(001) films with perpendicular magnetization in the stripe domain phase. Non-stroboscopic time-resolved threshold photoemission electron microscopy with high temporal resolution allows analysing the dynamic fingerprint of the topological excitations in the nematic domain phase. Furthermore, proliferation of domain ending defects in the vicinity of the spin reorientation transition is witnessed.