Abstract
Recent developments in the observation of magnetic domains and domain walls by wide-field optical microscopy based on the magneto-optical Kerr, Faraday, Voigt, and Gradient effect are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the existence of higher order magneto-optical effects for advanced magnetic imaging. Fundamental concepts and advances in methodology are discussed that allow for imaging of magnetic domains on various length and time scales. Time-resolved imaging of electric field induced domain wall rotation is shown. Visualization of magnetization dynamics down to picosecond temporal resolution for the imaging of spin-waves and magneto-optical multi-effect domain imaging techniques for obtaining vectorial information are demonstrated. Beyond conventional domain imaging, the use of a magneto-optical indicator technique for local temperature sensing is shown.
Highlights
The imaging of magnetic domain structures in magnetic materials and devices is of high importance to understand and optimize the magnetization behavior in magnetic bulk and film structures
Recent developments in the observation of magnetic domains and domain walls by wide-field optical microscopy based on the magneto-optical Kerr, Faraday, Voigt, and Gradient effect are reviewed
From an application point of view, existing methods differ in terms of attainable spatial and temporal resolution, and in terms of image acquisition times due to full field imaging versus scanning techniques
Summary
The imaging of magnetic domain structures in magnetic materials and devices is of high importance to understand and optimize the magnetization behavior in magnetic bulk and film structures. Magnetic domain imaging gives indispensable information on the mechanisms of magnetic reversal behavior in magnetic samples and provides clarification of the origin of effective magnetic properties. Reviews on various magnetic domain observation techniques including recent developments are given in Refs. From an application point of view, existing methods differ in terms of attainable spatial and temporal resolution, and in terms of image acquisition times due to full field imaging versus scanning techniques. We review the latest developments in MO wide-field imaging of magnetic domains with different fields of view varying by about four orders of magnitude and on very short time scales. The versatility of MO imaging is further demonstrated, discussing an alternative application of MO imaging beyond traditional magnetic domain imaging
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