Extending Field Limits in Nanoscale Magnetic Imaging With Metamaterial-Inspired Magnetic Flux Concentrators

Abstract

Many nanoscale magnetic imaging techniques are constrained by the maximum magnetic field that can be applied during measurements, due to geometrical limitations or interactions with the probe or the detected signal (e.g., electrons). Here, it is demonstrated that sample-integrated metamaterial-inspired magnetic flux concentrators (MFCs) locally amplify magnetic fields, allowing observation of magnetization processes beyond instrumental limits. Micrometer-sized MFCs fabricated directly on the samples are tested in photoemission electron microscopy experiments employing X-ray magnetic circular dichroism as magnetic contrast mechanism. At low applied fields, substantial amplification factors enable observation of magnetization reversal in a chain of magnetite nanoparticles synthesized by magnetotactic bacteria at an applied field of 8 mT, substantially smaller than the ∼50 mT predicted by simulations in the absence of MFCs. At higher fields, the field enhancement extends the accessible field range by a factor of five, enabling for the first time, imaging of the field-dependent magnetic domain structure evolution of an isolated giant magnetofossil. Finally, we show how MFC geometry and material parameters can be tuned to optimize performance considering sample and experimental constraints, providing a tunable and broadly applicable strategy for extending the accessible field range in a wide variety of nanoscale magnetic imaging techniques.