Chirality of a forming spin spring and remagnetization features of a bilayer ferromagnetic system

Abstract

Distribution of a magnetic moment in an exchange-coupled bilayer Fe/SmCo epitaxial structure grown on a (110) MgO substrate is visualized by the magnetooptic indicator film technique. The direction and the magnitude of the effective magnetization in this structure are determined both under external magnetic fields of variable magnitude and direction and after the removal of these fields. It is shown that such a heterostructure is remagnetized by a nonuniform rotation of a magnetic moment both along the thickness of a sample and in its plane. A field antiparallel to the axis of unidirectional anisotropy gives rise to spin springs with opposite chiralities in different regions of the magnetically soft ferromagnetic layer. The contributions of these springs to the net magnetization cancel out, thus decreasing the averaged magnetic moment and the remanent magnetization without their rotation. When the external field deviates from the easy axis, the balance is violated and the sample exhibits a quasi-uniform rotation of the magnetic moment. Asymmetry in the rotation of the magnetic moment is observed under the reversal of the field as well as under repeated remagnetization cycles. It is established that a monochiral spin spring is also formed in a rotating in-plane magnetic field when the magnitude of the field exceeds the critical value. Possible mechanisms of remagnetization in this system are discussed with regard to the original disordered orientation of magnetization of the magnetically soft layer with respect to the easy axis, which is defined by the variance of unidirectional anisotropy axes of this layer on the interface.