Determination of the Magnetic Coupling in the Co/Cu/Co(100) System with Momentum-Resolved Quantum Well States

Abstract

The relation between the quantum well (QW) states and the oscillatory magnetic coupling in Co/Cu/Co grown on Cu(100) was investigated by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy, magnetic x-ray linear dichroism, and the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect. The QW states were explained quantitatively using the phase accumulation model, and the derived QW phases at the Cu/Co interface were used to calculate the interlayer coupling. The agreement between this calculation and the experimental result reveals that the phase relation between the long- and short-period couplings is determined by the phase relation of the QW states in $k$ space.