6533b7cefe1ef96bd12578ee

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Surface hysteresis curves of Fe(110) and Fe(100) crystals in ultrahigh vacuum — evidence of adsorbate influences

Joachim BansmannGerd SchönhenseMathias GetzlaffC. Westphal

subject

Condensed Matter::Materials ScienceHysteresisMagnetizationKerr effectMaterials scienceCondensed matter physicsSecondary emissionSurface roughnessSurface finishCoercivityCondensed Matter PhysicsMagnetic hysteresisElectronic Optical and Magnetic Materials

description

Abstract We have investigated hysteresis curves of silicon-stabilized Fe(100) and Fe(110) crystals using Polarized Secondary Electron Emission (PSEE) for surface magnetization processes and Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect (MOKE) for bulk hysteresis curves. In particular, the influence of adsorbates (oxygen and sulphur) and surface roughness on the magnetization reversal has been studied. For surface hysteresis curves we found adsorbate-induced reductions of coercive force of up to 50%; the bulk hysteresis curves showed significantly smaller deviations. Similar changes were caused by surface disorder on an atomic scale induced by ion bombardment. The results agree qualitatively with a previous experiment on Ni(110).

https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-8853(92)90289-z