A study of digitally recorded transitions in thin magnetic films

Digital recordings were placed on thin magnetic films which covered a range of coercivities and thicknesses. The details of the resulting transitions between bits were observed by transmission electron microscopy and found to be defined by cross-tie walls in a saw-tooth like structure (STS). This is unlike the magnetization distributions assumed by most recording theories. The theories of several other researchers, based on their observations of STS could not explain the results observed in this work. This is due to theoretical energy expressions based on magnetization distributions somewhat different from those observed here. The STS tip angle was found to be proportional to Hc^-0.5. The STS amplitude was proportional to film thickness times Hc^-1.5. Attempts at formulating a theory to explain these results were not successful.