Field-dependent anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect in epitaxial magnetite thin films

Abstract

A systematic study of the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the longitudinal and transverse resistivities of epitaxial thin films of magnetite (Fe${}_{3}$O${}_{4}$) is reported. The anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and the planar Hall effect are sensitive to the in-plane orientation of current and magnetization with respect to crystal axes in a way consistent with the cubic symmetry of the system. We also show that the AMR exhibits a sign reversal as a function of temperature, and that it shows significant field dependence without saturation up to 9 T. Our results provide a unified description of the anisotropic magnetoresistance effects in epitaxial magnetite films and illustrate the need for a full determination of the resistivity tensor in crystalline systems.