Resolving interfacial magnetism and complex spin structures in magnetic thin films and multilayers by soft x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity

Orateur : Jean Marc TONNERRE (Institut Néel - S.I.N.)

Soft x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity (SXRMR) is now a well-established te chnique that combines the depth-resolved information of x-ray reflectivity with the chemical selectivity of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism for probing the magnetization profile in thin films and multilayers [1-3]. SXRMR is a unique tool for complex magnetic systems because of the dependence of the atomic scattering factor with respect to the incoming photon energy, scattering-vector, and polarization state of the incident and reflected beam. Hence, it can be used to investigate magnetic ordering and magnetic moments orientation with element specificity. Heterostructures, based on the stack of ultrathin films with different magnetic states, are nowadays intensively studied, particularly in the context of nanomagnetism and spintronics. The size reduction increases the role of interfaces and couplings at interfaces or through spacing layers. The determination of the magnetization profile, with a sub-nanometer spatial resolution, and modifications that occur at buried interfaces is an important challenge in order to contribute to the understanding of the properties of these systems and their behavior under the influence of various parameters. The capabilities of polarized soft x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity will be illustrated through recent examples.

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