Magnetic stripe domains in coupled magnetic sandwiches

Magnetic stripe domains in the spin reorientation transition region are investigated in (Fe/Ni)/Cu(001) and Co/Cu/(Fe/Ni)/Cu(001) using photoemission electron microscopy. For the former, the stripe domain width decreases exponentially as the Fe/Ni film approaches the transition point. For the latter, the Fe/Ni stripe orientation is aligned with the Co in-plane magnetization and the domain width decreases exponentially with increasing of the interlayer coupling between the Fe/Ni and Co films. By considering magnetic stripes within an in-plane magnetic field, we reveal a universal dependence of the stripe domain width on the magnetic anisotropy and on the interlayer coupling.