Feasibility of study magnetic proximity effects in bilayer "superconductor/ferromagnet" using waveguide-enhanced Polarized Neutron Reflectometry

TL;DR

This paper explores using waveguide-enhanced polarized neutron reflectometry to significantly boost magnetic scattering signals in superconductor/ferromagnet bilayers, enabling more sensitive studies of magnetic proximity effects.

Contribution

It introduces a resonant enhancement technique for neutron scattering in S/F bilayers, demonstrating a 60-fold increase in magnetic signal detection.

Findings

Resonant enhancement can increase magnetic scattering by hundreds of times.

Experimental data confirmed a 60-fold amplification of magnetic scattering.

Method improves sensitivity for studying magnetic proximity effects.

Abstract

A resonant enhancement of the neutron standing waves is proposed to use in order to increase the magnetic neutron scattering from a "superconductor/ferromagnet"(S/F) bilayer. The model calculations show that usage of this effect allows to increase the magnetic scattering intensity by factor of hundreds. Aspects related to the growth procedure (order of deposition, roughness of the layers etc) as well as experimental conditions (resolution, polarization of the neutron beam, background etc) are also discussed. Collected experimental data for the S/F heterostructure Cu(32nm)/V(40nm)/Fe(1nm)/MgO confirmed the presence of a resonant 60-fold amplification of the magnetic scattering.