In situ Brillouin scattering investigation of spin waves during the fcc to bcc transition of Fe/Cu(100) films

Brillouin light scattering has been exploited in situ to study spin waves in ultrathin Fe/Cu(100) films during the fcc-bcc phase transition. A splitting of the surface spin-wave peak has been observed, due to the existence of different bcc domains, which are magnetically coupled. Measurements of the spin-wave frequency as a function of the in-plane direction and of the intensity of the applied magnetic field, as well as of the incidence angle of light, enabled us to determine the magnetic parameters of the films, including both the in-plane and out-of-plane anisotropy constants.