Observation of a temperature dependent asymmetry in the domain structure of a Pd doped FeRh epilayer

Abstract

Using X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy we have observed the coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases in a (3 at.%)Pd-doped FeRh epilayer. By quantitatively analyzing the resultant images we observe that as the epilayer transforms there is a change in magnetic domain symmetry from predominantly twofold at lower temperatures through to an equally weighted combination of both four and twofold symmetries at higher temperature. It is postulated that the lowered symmetry Ising-like nematic phase resides at the near-surface of the epilayer. This behavior is different to that of undoped FeRh suggesting that the variation in symmetry is driven by the competing structural and electronic interactions in the nanoscale FeRh film coupled with the effect of the chemical doping disorder.

arXiv comment10 pages, 8 figures, 1 table

References in corpus (2)

• Room-temperature antiferromagnetic memory resistor
• Low temperature study of field induced antiferro-ferromagnetic transition in Pd doped FeRh

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Magnetization reversal of giant perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at the magnetic-phase transition in FeRh films on MgO
• Antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic phase domain development in nanopatterned FeRh islands
• Asymmetric Magnetic Relaxation behavior of Domains and Domain Walls Observed Through the FeRh First-Order Metamagnetic Phase Transition
• Direct visualization of the magnetostructural phase transition in nano-scale FeRh thin films using differential phase contrast imaging
• Phase Boundary Exchange Coupling in the Mixed Magnetic Phase Regime of a Pd-doped FeRh Epilayer
• Absence of topological Hall effect in Fe${}_x$Rh${}_{100-x}$ epitaxial films: revisiting their phase diagram