Micromagnetic simulation as a bridge between magnetic-force and magnetic-transmission X-ray microscopy

Abstract Domain imaging techniques are used to analyze the micromagnetic behavior of microelements applied in spin-transport devices. Micromagnetic simulations enable direct comparison of the experimental results and give additional information which is not directly accessible experimentally. As a case study we investigate the stray-field interaction of microelements prepared on thin Si 3 N 4 membranes with magnetic-transmission X-ray microscopy and magnetic-force microscopy. Micromagnetic simulations yield internal parameters such as local stray fields and total magnetic energy. Values for the strength of the stray-field interaction between two microelements of several milli Tesla are deduced. Results also show that pinned magnetizations can explain the magnetization patterns observed in the experiments.