MFM Investigation of the Domain Structure of Cobalt Single Crystals

Abstract

Study of the domain structure at the basal surface of bulk cobalt single crystals was carried out by magnetic force microscopy (MFM). The surface domains were seen in the form of flowers, stars, or circles. The reason for their presence is the reduction of the magnetostatic energy at the cost of a larger total Bloch wall area. The domain structure of bulk cobalt is found to be a transitional one between those observed in bulk materials with low and high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The MFM images were correlated with the surface topography recorded by atomic force microscopy (AFM).