A novel method for magnetic imaging: determination of local in-plane susceptibility at a surface

Abstract

Using a combined read/write head, a new instrument has been developed to determine the local in-plane magnetic susceptibility in magnitude and orientation at a micron length scale. Applications of this instrument to image the susceptibility distribution over ferromagnetic, as well as superconducting surfaces are presented. As far as we know, such microscopic magnetic information cannot be measured by other techniques.