Field angle dependent change of the magnetization reversal mode in epitaxial Co (0001) films

Abstract

The magnetic field dependent reorientation phase transition of epitaxial Co (0001) films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is studied as a function of the applied field angle. The experimental data reveal an abrupt qualitative change of the magnetization reversal path at a critical angle between in-plane and out-of-plane field orientation, which is caused by a change in the domain formation process occurring concurrently with the phase transition. By means of our experiments and model calculations, we demonstrate that the observations are due to a transition from instability driven magnetization reversal occurring near in-plane field orientation to domain nucleation processes, which occur near out-of-plane orientation of the magnetic field.