Magnetic microstructure and magnetotransport in Co2FeAl Heusler compound thin films

We correlate simultaneously recorded magnetotransport and spatially resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) data in Co2FeAl Heusler compound thin films micropatterned into Hall bars. Room temperature MOKE images reveal the nucleation and propagation of domains in an externally applied magnetic field and are used to extract a macrospin corresponding to the mean magnetization direction in the Hall bar. The anisotropic magnetoresistance calculated using this macrospin is in excellent agreement with magnetoresistance measurements. This suggests that the magnetotransport in Heusler compounds can be adequately simulated using simple macrospin models, while the magnetoresistance contribution due to domain walls is of negligible importance. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3544559]