Yamasaki, A., Wulfhekel, W., Hertel, R., Suga, S., Kirschner, J.
Spin-polarized STS study of Fe nano-magnets on W(001)
Journal of Applied Physics 95, (11),pp 7025-7027 (2004)
We have studied the magnetic states of self-organized Fe islands on W(001) by means of spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy (Sp-STS). Single-domain and vortex states in the nanoscale islands have been observed. The high-resolution magnetic images enable to experimentally determine the boundary between the single-domain and vortex states. The single-domain state was always found below a thickness of 6 nm and a diameter of 120 nm in Fe islands. The boundary directly observed with Sp-STS is consistent with theoretical predictions.