Spin textures hold the key to understand and control properties, behavior and functionalities of novel magnetic materials, which can impact speed, size and energy efficiency of spin driven technologies. Advanced characterization tools that provide magnetic sensitivity to spin textures at high spatial resolution, ultimately at buried interfaces and in all three dimensions [1], and at high temporal resolution to capture the spin dynamics across scales, are of large scientific interest.<br/>Magnetic soft X-ray spectro-microscopies [2] provide unique characterization opportunities to study the statics and dynamics of spin textures in magnetic materials combining X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (X-MCD) as element specific, quantifiable magnetic contrast mechanism with spatial and temporal resolutions down to fundamental magnetic length, time, and energy scales.<br/>Current developments of x-ray sources aim to increase dramatically the coherence of x-rays opening the path to new techniques, such as ptychography [3] or x-ray photo-correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) [4] that allow unprecedented studies of nanoscale heterogeneity, complexity, and fluctuations.<br/>I will review recent achievements and future opportunities with magnetic x-ray spectro-microscopies, specifically with full-field soft X-ray transmission microscopy and soft x-ray ptychography.<br/>Examples will include static properties and dynamic behavior of magnetic skyrmion [5,6] textures with potential application to novel magnetic logic and storage devices, as well as results from an XPCS study at LCLS with a novel 2-pulse scheme that allowed to discover an unexpected and drastic change of the correlation times in nanoscale spin fluctuations near phase boundaries, i.e., in the skyrmion phase, and near the boundary with the stripe phase of a multilayered Fe/Gd system [4].

Advanced magnetic x-ray spectro-microscopy - a path towards studying novel spin textures at fundamental magnetic length and time scales

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.