Magnetoelastic domain structure in a film of a rhombic ferromagnet on a nonmagnetic substrate

A ground state of a tangentially magnetized ferromagnetic film of arbitrary thickness L on a massive substrate in the vicinity of the spin-reorientati onal phase transition (RPT) induced by temperature is studied. A new magnet oelastic phase with spatially modulated order parameter is predicted, the e xistence of which is associated with the magnetostriction coupling of magne tization to lattice deformation on the crystal interface. it is demonstrate d that the RPT from the uniform to the domain phase is the second order one . A domain nucleation close to the RPT temperature is analyzed. The main pa rameters of a developed domain structure away from the RPT temperature are determined. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.