Ground state and constrained domain walls in Gd/Fe multilayers

The magnetic ground state of antiferromagnetically coupled Gd∕Fe multilayers and the evolution of in-plane domain walls is modeled with micromagnetics. The twisted state is characterized by a rapid decrease of the interface angle with increasing magnetic field. We found that for certain ratios MFe:MGd, the twisted state is already present at low fields. However, the magnetic ground state is not only determined by the ratio MFe:MGd but also by the thicknesses of the layers; that is by the total moments of the layer. The dependence of the magnetic ground state is explained by the amount of overlap of the domain walls at the interface. Thicker layers suppress the Fe-aligned and the Gd-aligned state in favor of the twisted state. On the other hand, ultrathin layers exclude the twisted state, since wider domain walls cannot form in these ultrathin layers.