Universal thermal stabilization of the magnetization in ultrathin ferromagnetic films

Abstract

Very thin FeNi films are coupled over nonmagnetic interfacees of varied thickness to bulk FeNi generating exchange couplings J/J of varied strength on a path perpendicular to the surface. The relative magnetization M(T)/M(0) decreases faster at low T for J/J 0 than for J/J=0. This implies a scarcity of spin waves in uncoupled films which we show to be very likely a universal property of ultrathin 2D ferromagnets on a nonmagnetic substrate. © 1989 The American Physical Society.