In-plane magnetization of garnet films imaged by proximal probe nonlinear magneto-optical microscopy

We show that small in-plane magnetization components in magnetic garnet films with perpendicular anisotropy can be imaged using nonlinear magneto-optical proximal probe microscopy, i.e., magnetization-induced second harmonic generation together with a scanning near-field optical microscope. A relationship exists between the in-plane magnetization domains we observed and the typical maze-like out-of-plane magnetization domains that are simultaneously imaged recording the linear Faraday effect. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021- 8979(00)01710-2].