Characteristic magnetic length-scales in Vitroperm—Combining Kerr microscopy and small-angle neutron scattering

We present a study of the magnetic-field dependence of the magnetic microstructure of the nanocrystalline soft magnet Vitroperm (Fe73Si16B7Nb3Cu1), which was treated so as to exhibit a macroscopic magnetic anisotropy. The samples were analysed using Kerr microscopy and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). As the applied magnetic field is decreased starting from saturation, we find that two processes occur independently: the formation of a domain structure with the net magnetisation of the domains aligned along the macroscopic easy axis and the increase in magnitude of static, nanometer-scale fluctuations of the spin orientation. The domain structure observations from Kerr microscopy are in excellent agreement with the results of the SANS experiments.