A NOVEL-APPROACH TO DOMAIN IMAGING IN NATURAL FE TI OXIDES BY SPIN-POLARIZED SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY/

A novel approach to magnetic domain imaging in rock magnetism is descr ibed. Spin-polarized scanning electron, microscopy is a technique that can map domain patterns on a submicron scale and moreover completely differentiate the information on magnetism and morphology. We demonstr ate the applicability of the technique to problems of rock magnetism b y identifying the domain configuration in a natural ore grain consisti ng of two Fe/Ti-oxide phases. Strong contrast enhancement can be achie ved by covering the specimen with ultrathin Fe overlayers. We compare our approach to existing domain imaging techniques and discuss the pot ential of this method to obtain detailed insight into the microscopic magnetization processes relevant to rock magnetism.