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Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 047204 (2009) [4 pages]

Probing Fractal Magnetic Domains on Multiple Length Scales in Nd2Fe14B

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A. Kreyssig1,2,3,*, R. Prozorov1,2, C. D. Dewhurst4, P. C. Canfield1,2, R. W. McCallum1, and A. I. Goldman1,2
1Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
2Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
3Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
4Institut Laue-Langevin, 6, rue Jules Horowitz, 38042 Grenoble, France

Received 9 September 2008; published 29 January 2009

Using small-angle neutron scattering, we demonstrate that the complex magnetic domain patterns at the surface of Nd2Fe14B, revealed by quantitative Kerr and Faraday microscopy, propagate into the bulk and exhibit structural features with dimensions down to 6 nm, the domain wall thickness. The observed fractal nature of the domain structures provides an explanation for the anomalous increase in the bulk magnetization of Nd2Fe14B below the spin-reorientation transition. These measurements open up a rich playground for studies of fractal structures in highly anisotropic magnetic systems.

© 2009 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.047204
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.047204
PACS:
75.60.Ch, 05.45.Df, 75.25.+z, 78.20.Ls

*kreyssig@ameslab.gov

 
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