COMPONENT-RESOLVED IMAGING OF SURFACE MAGNETIC-FIELDS

Successful imaging is demonstrated of the three individual Cartesian c omponents of the vector magnetic field from a magnetized surface. This is accomplished by exploiting the capability of the magnetic force sc anning tunneling microscope to generate two-dimensional mapping of def inite combinations of orthogonal magnetic-field components. This metho d is applied to well-characterized patterns on thin-film longitudinal recording media and some peculiar characteristics of recorded magnetiz ation patterns are found, including the presence of a significant cros s-track magnetization component persisting along the track edges. The experimental approach and the unique physical insights acquired by sim ultaneously investigating individual magnetic-field components are dis cussed.