Magnetic Structure and Strain State in Fe/V Superlattices Studied by 57Fe+ Emission and Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy

The magnetic properties of the Fe/V superlattices were studied by conventional Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy (CEMS) and online 57Fe+ emission Mössbauer Spectroscopy (eMS) at room temperature (RT) at ISOLDE/CERN. The unique depth-enhanced sensitivity and ultradiluted regime of the probe atoms adopted in this eMS facility enabled the investigation of the magnetic structures and the strain state in the superlattice layers and at the interfaces. The magnetic spectra of the superlattices were found to depend on both the local lattice environment and the strain state of the Fe-lattices. The magnetic polarisation in the V-layers or at the interfaces was not detected at RT. Spectral broadening was evident in the single line component of the eMS due to Fe ions substituted at V-lattice sites in the V-layers of the superlattice, attributable to the lattice strain in the V-layers. Our study demonstrate that with the online eMS technique the effects of the strain state of the superlattice on the magnetic properties of the Fe-layer in the Fe/V multilayer structures can be detected.