Abstract
We investigated the magnetic properties of a (110)-oriented Fe/Cr multilayer
of the form V(110) / (12 Å Fe / 260 Å Cr)15/12 Å Fe/100 Å Cr consisting of 260 Å thick Cr layers and 12 Å thick Fe layers
which were grown epitaxially on a V(110) single crystal. The easy axis of magnetization
is the [001] direction as determined by polarized neutron reflectometry.
Neutron diffraction data reveal that the commensurate spin density wave is
the stable phase at 300 K and the Cr magnetic moments are aligned perpendicular
to [001]. When rotating the Fe magnetization from the easy axis into the
in-plane hard-axis direction [1
0] by applying a magnetic field of 4500 Oe the
intensity of the commensurate Cr(001) peak decreases by a factor of 2. This
can be interpreted as a simultaneous rotation of the Fe and Cr moments pinned
together in its initial perpendicular orientation.