Magnetic Compton profile evaluation of magnetization process of TbxCo100−x films

• Published in: Materials research express 2017-10, Vol.4 (10)
• Main Authors: Agui, Akane, Ma, Chuang, Liu, Xiaoxi, Tsuji, Naruki, Adachi, Misaki, Shibayama, Akane, Suzuki, Kosuke, Sakurai, Hiroshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 07.55.Jg magnetometers for susceptibility, magnetic moment, and magnetization measurements; 75.50.Gg ferrimagnetics; 75.50.Kj amorphous and quasicrystalline magnetic materials; 75.50.Ss magnetic recording materials; 75.60.Ej magnetization curves, hysteresis, Barkhausen and related effects
• ISSN: 2053-1591
• DOI: 10.1088/2053-1591/aa91e3

An understanding of the microscopic processes underlying the magnetization of the thin films is essential to the design and development of efficient magnetic recording media. In this context, we measure the magnetic Compton profile (MCP) of TbxCo100−x films (13 ⩽ x ⩽ 20) and investigate the microscopic (spin magnetic moment (μspin), orbital magnetic moment (μorbital), and element specific magnetic moment (μTb and μCo)) magnetization processes. Using the magnetic-field dependence of MCP, we obtain the spin- and orbital-specific magnetization curves (SSMH and OSMH, respectively). From the profile-fitting analysis, we also obtain the element specific SSMH curves, and we find from our results that the ratio μspin/μorbital is nearly constant. Thus, it is assumed that the magnetic switching processes of μspin and μorbital cooperatively occur in this system (corresponding to μCototal and μTbtotal). In addition, we observe that μspin/μorbital and μCototal/μTbtotal are  −1 at x ∼ 17. This implies that the magnetic moment of Tb aligns toward the magnetic field in the region of x  >  17 and that of Co aligns toward the magnetic field in the region of x