Temperature dependence of the microscopic magnetization process of Tb12Co88 using magnetic Compton scattering

[Display omitted] •Spin, orbital, and element specific magnetic hysteresis curve of Tb12Co88 film was measured by using magnetic Compton scattering.•The orbital and spin moments are opposite directions. Similarly, the Tb and Co moments have opposite directions.•The temperature dependence of magnetic Compton profile shows the temperature should control the net magnetic moment because those fluctuations are suppressed at lower temperature. Tb-Co perpendicular magnetization films are mother materials for perpendicular magnetic recording media. Since the magnetic recording technique is based on magnetic switching of a material, investigating a magnetic the response of the material to a magnetic field is important. The magnetic response of the entire system is the net of each microscopic response of the spin magnetic moment and orbital magnetic moment of the elements. Herein we study the magnetization processes of the spin, orbital, and the element-specific magnetic moments by measuring the magnetic field dependence of the magnetic Compton profile of a Tb12Co88 film. The spin and orbital magnetic moments have opposite orientations. Similarly, Tb and Co magnetic moments have opposite directions. When the total magnetic moment reverses, the orientation of spin and orbital magnetization as well as Tb and Co reverse. Decreasing the temperature, the fluctuation of the magnetic moment of Tb in the perpendicular direction decreases. So the cancelation between the Tb and Co moments reduces total magnetic moment.