Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 3172-3175 (1991)

                                                                                [Issue 22 - November 1991 ]

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Fluctuation mechanism for biquadratic exchange coupling in magnetic multilayers

       J. C. Slonczewski 
       IBM Research Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, P.O. Box 218, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598

Received 22 August 1991

We show how spatial fluctuations of chromium thickness amounting to one atomic monolayer account phenomenologically for the biquadratic magnetic coupling recently reported in epitaxial Fe/Cr/Fe trilayers. Corresponding
fluctuations of the short-period oscillatory term of conventional exchange coupling induce static waves of magnetization whose energy has the observed biquadratic form. An existing calculation of conventional exchange and
its recent direct measurements in highly ordered trilayers support our interpretation.

©1991 The American Physical Society

URL: http://publish.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v67/p3172
PACS: 75.50.Rr, 75.70.Cn