Fourfold magnetic anisotropy induced in CoFeB/IrMn bilayers by interfacial exchange coupling

Dynamic exchange coupling in magnetic bilayers.

A long-range dynamic interaction between ferromagnetic films separated by normal-metal spacers is reported, which is communicated by nonequilibrium spin currents. It is measured by ferromagnetic resonance and explained by an adiabatic spin-pump theory. In such a resonance the spin-pump mechanism of spatially separated magnetic moments leads to an appreciable increase in the resonant linewidth w...

Chirality from interfacial spin-orbit coupling effects in magnetic bilayers.

As nanomagnetic devices scale to smaller sizes, spin-orbit coupling due to the broken structural inversion symmetry at interfaces becomes increasingly important. Here, we study interfacial spin-orbit coupling effects in magnetic bilayers using a simple Rashba model. The spin-orbit coupling introduces chirality into the behavior of the electrons and through them into the energetics of the magnet...

Interfacial anisotropy in magnetic superlattices.

We have observed large discrepancies between the dc magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) magnetic anisotropy in Mo-Ni superlattices. We show that higher-order anisotropy is present in both measurements and develop an analysis by which the first-order and second-order energies can be treated independently. The low-temperature results show a systematic divergence of the first-order FMR...

Competing interfacial exchange and Zeeman energies in exchange biased bilayers

The exchange bias in antiferromagnet (MnF2)/ferromagnet ~Fe! bilayers has been studied as a function of temperature, cooling field, and interfacial roughness. Positive exchange bias is observed under certain conditions, along with a nonmonotonic roughness dependence. The unusual cooling field dependence can be understood within a simple model in which the exchange bias is determined by a compet...

Exchange-controlled magnetic anisotropy