Observation of Twisted Magnetization at Ferromagnet/Antiferromagnet Interface by Means of Polarized Neutron Reflectivity and Soft X-ray Depth-resolved X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism

Abstract

A twisted magnetic structure in a Ni film attached to an antiferromagnetic FeMn layer is suggested by a complimentary use of the polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR) and the depth-resolved X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) techniques. The depth-resolved XMCD shows that the perpendicular magnetization component in the Ni film decreases around the interface to FeMn, while the PNR data indicates that an in-plane magnetization component is induced in Ni around the interface to FeMn by weak in-plane magnetic fields. These results are reasonably interpreted by assuming that the magnetic moment in the Ni layer is twisted from the perpendicular to the in-plane directions towards the interface to FeMn.