Electron interaction with domain walls in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers

TL;DR

This paper investigates how domain walls in antiferromagnetically coupled Fe/Cr multilayers affect electrical resistivity at low temperatures, revealing quantum effects that suppress anti-localization and enhance resistivity.

Contribution

It demonstrates the significant impact of domain walls on resistivity at low temperatures and explains this through suppression of anti-localization effects by gauge fields.

Findings

Resistivity increases at low temperatures due to domain walls.

Resistivity follows a power law with an exponent of about 0.7 to 1.

Suppression of anti-localization effects explains the resistivity behavior.

Abstract

For antiferromagnetically coupled Fe/Cr multilayers the low field contribution to the resistivity, which is caused by the domain walls, is strongly enhanced at low temperatures. The low temperature resistivity varies according to a power law with the exponent about 0.7 to 1. This behavior can not be explained assuming ballistic electron transport through the domain walls. It is necessary to invoke the suppression of anti-localization effects (positive quantum correction to conductivity) by the nonuniform gauge fields caused by the domain walls.