Magnetic structure of Fe/Gd multilayers determined by resonant x-ray magnetic scattering

The magnetic structures of a (Fe/Gd)₁₅ multilayer are determined by resonant x-ray magnetic scattering using circular polarized light of energies tuned close to the Gd L and the Fe K absorption edges. Difference superlattice Bragg peaks observed by flipping the photon helicity show that the magnetic moments of the Gd layers are directed antiparallel to the in-plane applied field at temperatures higher than 180 K, and are twisted below. The local Gd magnetizations in each 5.4-nm-thick layer are highly nonuniform in both magnitude and twist angle in the out-of-plane direction: the interface sublayers nearly fully magnetize at room and low temperatures under the influence of the adjacent Fe magnetizations, whereas the central sublayers show measurable spontaneous magnetizations at 200 K and below. An application of the 1-(T/Tc) law shows a reduced Curie temperature (Tc=214K) compared with bulk Gd for the central sublayers, while Tc=1023K for the interface sublayers. The interface and central sublayers exhibit distinct twist behaviors as a function of temperature below the compensation temperature, indicating the short-range nature of the Fe-Gd interaction. The element-specific resonant x-ray scattering confirmed the antiferromagnetic arrangement of the Gd and Fe moments at room temperature.