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DOE OSTI2017

Hall Effect–Mediated Magnetic Flux Transport in Protoplanetary Disks

The global evolution of protoplanetary disks (PPDs) has recently been shown to be largely controlled by the amount of poloidal magnetic flux threading the disk. The amount of magnetic flux must also coevolve with the disk, as a result of magnetic flux transport, a process that is poorly understood. In weakly ionized gas as in PPDs, magnetic flux is largely frozen in the electron fluid, except when resistivity is large. When the disk is largely laminar, we show that the relative drift between the electrons and ions (the Hall drift), and the ions and neutral fluids (ambipolar drift) can play a dominant role on the transport of magnetic flux. Using two-dimensional simulations that incorporate the Hall effect and ambipolar diffusion (AD) with prescribed diffusivities, we show that when large-scale poloidal field is aligned with disk rotation, the Hall effect rapidly drags magnetic flux inward at the midplane region, while it slowly pushes flux outward above/below the midplane. This leads to a highly radially elongated field configuration as a global manifestation of the Hall-shear instability. This field configuration further promotes rapid outward flux transport by AD at the midplane, leading to instability saturation. In quasi-steady state, magnetic flux is transported outward at approximately the same rate at all heights, and the rate is comparable to the Hall-free case. For anti-aligned field polarity, the Hall effect consistently transports magnetic flux outward, leading to a largely vertical field configuration in the midplane region. The field lines in the upper layer first bend radially inward and then outward to launch a disk wind. Overall, the net rate of outward flux transport is about twice as fast as that of the aligned case. In addition, the rate of flux transport increases with increasing disk magnetization. The absolute rate of transport is sensitive to disk microphysics, which remains to be explored in future studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Multifrequency Analysis of Favored Models for the Messier 87* Accretion Flow

Abstract The polarized images of the supermassive black hole Messier 87* (M87*) produced by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) provide a direct view of the near-horizon emission from a black hole accretion and jet system. The EHT theoretical analysis of the polarized M87* images compared thousands of snapshots from numerical models with a variety of spins, magnetization states, viewing inclinations, and electron energy distributions, and found a small subset consistent with the observed image. In this article, we examine two models favored by EHT analyses: a magnetically arrested disk with moderate retrograde spin and a magnetically arrested disk with high prograde spin. Both have electron distribution functions that lead to strong depolarization by cold electrons. We ray trace five snapshots from each model at 22, 43, 86, 230, 345, and 690 GHz to forecast future very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations and examine limitations in numerical models. We find that even at low frequencies where optical and Faraday rotation depths are large, approximately rotationally symmetric polarization persists, suggesting that shallow depths dominate the polarization signal. However, morphology and spectra suggest that the assumed thermal electron distribution is not adequate to describe emission from the jet. We find 86 GHz images show a ringlike shape determined by a combination of plasma and spacetime imprints, smaller in diameter than recent results from the Global mm-VLBI Array. We find that the photon ring becomes more apparent with increasing frequency, and is more apparent in the retrograde model, leading to large differences between models in asymmetry and polarization structure.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

DOE OSTI2012

VERTICAL STRUCTURE OF STATIONARY ACCRETION DISKS WITH A LARGE-SCALE MAGNETIC FIELD

In earlier works we pointed out that the disk's surface layers are non-turbulent and thus highly conducting (or non-diffusive) because the hydrodynamic and/or magnetorotational instabilities are suppressed high in the disk where the magnetic and radiation pressures are larger than the plasma thermal pressure. Here, we calculate the vertical profiles of the stationary accretion flows (with radial and azimuthal components), and the profiles of the large-scale, magnetic field taking into account the turbulent viscosity and diffusivity and the fact that the turbulence vanishes at the surface of the disk. Also, here we require that the radial accretion speed be zero at the disk's surface and we assume that the ratio of the turbulent viscosity to the turbulent magnetic diffusivity is of order unity. Thus, at the disk's surface there are three boundary conditions. As a result, for a fixed dimensionless viscosity {alpha}-value, we find that there is a definite relation between the ratio R of the accretion power going into magnetic disk winds to the viscous power dissipation and the midplane plasma-{beta}, which is the ratio of the plasma to magnetic pressure in the disk. For a specific disk model with R of order unity we find that the critical value required for a stationary solution is {beta}{sub c} Almost-Equal-To 2.4r/({alpha}h), where h is the disk's half thickness. For weaker magnetic fields, {beta} > {beta}{sub c}, we argue that the poloidal field will advect outward while for {beta} < {beta}{sub c} it will advect inward. Alternatively, if the disk wind is negligible (R<<1), there are stationary solutions with {beta} >> {beta}{sub c}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

DOES MAGNETIC-FIELD-ROTATION MISALIGNMENT SOLVE THE MAGNETIC BRAKING CATASTROPHE IN PROTOSTELLAR DISK FORMATION?

Stars form in dense cores of molecular clouds that are observed to be significantly magnetized. In the simplest case of a laminar (non-turbulent) core with the magnetic field aligned with the rotation axis, both analytic considerations and numerical simulations have shown that the formation of a large, 10{sup 2} AU scale, rotationally supported protostellar disk is suppressed by magnetic braking in the ideal MHD limit for a realistic level of core magnetization. This theoretical difficulty in forming protostellar disks is termed the ''magnetic braking catastrophe''. A possible resolution to this problem, proposed by Hennebelle and Ciardi and Joos et al., is that misalignment between the magnetic field and rotation axis may weaken the magnetic braking enough to enable disk formation. We evaluate this possibility quantitatively through numerical simulations. We confirm the basic result of Joos et al. that the misalignment is indeed conducive to disk formation. In relatively weakly magnetized cores with dimensionless mass-to-flux ratio {approx}> 4, it enabled the formation of rotationally supported disks that would otherwise be suppressed if the magnetic field and rotation axis are aligned. For more strongly magnetized cores, disk formation remains suppressed, however, even for the maximum tilt angle of 90 Degree-Sign . If dense cores are as strongly magnetized as indicated by OH Zeeman observations (with a mean dimensionless mass-to-flux ratio {approx}2), it would be difficult for the misalignment alone to enable disk formation in the majority of them. We conclude that, while beneficial to disk formation, especially for the relatively weak field case, misalignment does not completely solve the problem of catastrophic magnetic braking in general.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Magnetic and gravitational disk-star interactions: an interdependence of PMS stellar rotation rates and spin-orbit misalignments

The presence of giant gaseous planets that reside in close proximity to their host stars, i.e., hot Jupiters, may be a consequence of large-scale radial migration through the protoplanetary nebulae. Within the framework of this picture, significant orbital obliquities characteristic of a substantial fraction of such planets can be attributed to external torques that perturb the natal disks out of alignment with the spin axes of their host stars. Therefore, the acquisition of orbital obliquity likely exhibits sensitive dependence on the physics of disk-star interactions. Here, we analyze the primordial excitation of spin-orbit misalignment of Sun-like stars in light of disk-star angular momentum transfer. We begin by calculating the stellar pre-main-sequence rotational evolution, accounting for spin-up due to gravitational contraction and accretion as well as spin-down due to magnetic star-disk coupling. We devote particular attention to angular momentum transfer by accretion, and show that while generally subdominant to gravitational contraction, this process is largely controlled by the morphology of the stellar magnetic field (that is, specific angular momentum accreted by stars with octupole-dominated surface fields is smaller than that accreted by dipole-dominated stars by an order of magnitude). Subsequently, we examine the secular spin-axis dynamics of disk-bearing stars, accounting for the time-evolution of stellar and disk properties, and demonstrate that misalignments are preferentially excited in systems where stellar rotation is not overwhelmingly rapid. Moreover, we show that the excitation of spin-orbit misalignment occurs impulsively through an encounter with a resonance between the stellar precession frequency and the disk-torquing frequency. Cumulatively, the model developed herein opens up a previously unexplored avenue toward understanding star-disk evolution and its consequences in a unified manner.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2010

THE HANLE EFFECT AS A DIAGNOSTIC OF MAGNETIC FIELDS IN STELLAR ENVELOPES. V. THIN LINES FROM KEPLERIAN DISKS

This paper focuses on the polarized profiles of resonance scattering lines that form in magnetized disks. Optically thin lines from Keplerian planar disks are considered. Model line profiles are calculated for simple field topologies of axial fields (i.e., vertical to the disk plane) and toroidal fields (i.e., purely azimuthal). A scheme for discerning field strengths and geometries in disks is developed based on Stokes Q - U diagrams for the run of polarization across line profiles that are Doppler-broadened by the disk rotation. A discussion of the Hanle effect for magnetized disks in which the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is operating is also presented. Given that the MRI has a tendency to mix the vector field orientation, it may be difficult to detect the disk fields with the longitudinal Zeeman effect, since the amplitude of the circularly polarized signal scales with the net magnetic flux in the direction of the observer. The Hanle effect does not suffer from this impediment, and so a multi-line analysis could be used to constrain field strengths in disks dominated by the MRI.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

MAGNETIC FIELD TRANSPORT FROM DISK TO HALO VIA THE GALACTIC CHIMNEY PROCESS IN NGC 6946

The interstellar medium (ISM) in galaxies is directly affected by the mass and energy outflows originating in regions of star formation. Magnetic fields are an essential ingredient of the ISM, but their connection to the gaseous medium and its evolution remains poorly understood. Here, we present the detection of a gradient in Faraday rotation measure (RM), co-located with a hole in the neutral hydrogen (H I) distribution in the disk of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946. The gas kinematics in the same location show evidence for infall of cold gas. The combined characteristics of this feature point to a substantial vertical displacement of the initially plane-parallel-ordered magnetic field, driven by a localized star formation event. This reveals how the large-scale magnetic field pattern in galaxy disks is directly influenced by internal energetic phenomena. Conversely, magnetic fields are observed to be an important ingredient in disk-halo interactions, as predicted in MHD simulations. Turbulent magnetic fields at smaller spatial scales than the observed RM gradient will also be carried from the disk and provide a mechanism for the dynamo process to amplify the ordered magnetic field without quenching. We discuss the observational biases and suggest that this is a common feature of star-forming galaxies with active disk-halo flows.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2010

HYPERACCRETING DISKS AROUND MAGNETARS FOR GAMMA-RAY BURSTS: EFFECTS OF STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS

Hyperaccreting neutron stars or magnetar disks cooled via neutrino emission can be candidates of gamma-ray burst (GRB) central engines. The strong field {>=}10{sup 15}-10{sup 16} G of a magnetar can play a significant role in affecting the disk properties and even lead to the funnel accretion process. In this paper, we investigate the effects of strong fields on the disks around magnetars, and discuss implications of such accreting magnetar systems for GRBs and GRB-like events. We discuss quantum effects of the strong fields on the disk thermodynamics and microphysics due to modifications of the electron distribution and energy in the strong field environment, and use the magnetohydrodynamical conservation equations to describe the behavior of the disk flow coupled with a large-scale field, which is generated by the star-disk interaction. If the disk field is open, the disk properties mainly depend on the ratio between |B {sub {phi}/}B{sub z}| and {Omega}/{Omega}{sub K} with B {sub {phi}} and B{sub z} being the azimuthal and vertical components of the disk field, and {Omega} and {Omega} {sub K} being the accretion flow angular velocity and Keplerian velocity, respectively. On the other hand, the disk properties also depend on the magnetar spin period if the disk field is closed. In general, stronger fields give higher disk densities, pressures, temperatures, and neutrino luminosity. Moreover, strong fields will change the electron fraction and degeneracy state significantly. A magnetized disk is always viscously stable outside the Alfven radius, but will be thermally unstable near the Alfven radius where the magnetic field plays a more important role in transferring the angular momentum and heating the disk than the viscous stress. The funnel accretion process will be important only for an extremely strong field, which creates a magnetosphere inside the Alfven radius and truncates the plane disk. Because of higher temperature and more concentrated neutrino emission of a ring-like belt region on the magnetar surface covered by funnel accretion, the neutrino annihilation rate from the accreting magnetar can be much higher than that from an accreting neutron star without fields. Furthermore, the neutrino annihilation mechanism, which releases the gravitational energy of the surrounding disk, and the magnetically driven pulsar wind, which extracts the stellar rotational energy from the magnetar surface, can work together to generate and feed an ultrarelativistic jet along the stellar magnetic poles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Kinetic description of quasi-stationary axisymmetric collisionless accretion disk plasmas with arbitrary magnetic field configurations

A kinetic treatment is developed for collisionless magnetized plasmas occurring in high-temperature, low-density astrophysical accretion disks, such as are thought to be present in some radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes. Quasi-stationary configurations are investigated, within the framework of a Vlasov-Maxwell description. The plasma is taken to be axisymmetric and subject to the action of slowly time-varying gravitational and electromagnetic fields. The magnetic field is assumed to be characterized by a family of locally nested but open magnetic surfaces. The slow collisionless dynamics of these plasmas is investigated, yielding a reduced gyrokinetic Vlasov equation for the kinetic distribution function. For doing this, an asymptotic quasi-stationary solution is first determined, represented by a generalized bi-Maxwellian distribution expressed in terms of the relevant adiabatic invariants. The existence of the solution is shown to depend on having suitable kinetic constraints and conditions leading to particle trapping phenomena. With this solution, one can treat temperature anisotropy, toroidal and poloidal flow velocities, and finite Larmor-radius effects. An asymptotic expansion for the distribution function permits analytic evaluation of all the relevant fluid fields. Basic theoretical features of the solution and their astrophysical implications are discussed. As an application, the possibility of describing the dynamics of slowly time-varying accretion flows and the self-generation of magnetic field by means of a ''kinetic dynamo effect'' are discussed. Both effects are shown to be related to intrinsically kinetic physical mechanisms.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

On the grain-modified magnetic diffusivities in protoplanetary disks

Weakly ionized protoplanetary disks (PPDs) are subject to nonideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects, including ohmic resistivity, the Hall effect, and ambipolar diffusion (AD), and the resulting magnetic diffusivities (η{sub O},η{sub H}, and η{sub A}) largely control the disk gas dynamics. The presence of grains not only strongly reduces the disk ionization fraction, but also modifies the scalings of η{sub H} and η{sub A} with magnetic field strength. We analytically derive asymptotic expressions of η{sub H} and η{sub A} in both the strong and weak field limits and show that toward a strong field, η{sub H} can change sign (at a threshold field strength B{sub th}), mimicking a flip of field polarity, and AD is substantially reduced. Applied to PPDs, we find that when small ∼0.1 (0.01)μm grains are sufficiently abundant (mass ratio ∼0.01 (10{sup −4})), η{sub H} can change sign up to ∼2–3 scale heights above the midplane at a modest field strength (plasma β∼100) over a wide range of disk radii. The reduction of AD is also substantial toward the AD-dominated outer disk and may activate the magnetorotational instability. We further perform local nonideal MHD simulations of the inner disk (within 10 au) and show that, with sufficiently abundant small grains, the magnetic field amplification due to the Hall-shear instability saturates at a very low level near the threshold field strength B{sub th}. Together with previous studies, we conclude by discussing the grain-abundance-dependent phenomenology of PPD gas dynamics.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

TORQUE ENHANCEMENT, SPIN EQUILIBRIUM, AND JET POWER FROM DISK-INDUCED OPENING OF PULSAR MAGNETIC FIELDS

The interaction of a rotating star’s magnetic field with a surrounding plasma disk lies at the heart of many questions posed by neutron stars in X-ray binaries. We consider the opening of stellar magnetic flux due to differential rotation along field lines coupling the star and disk, using a simple model for the disk-opened flux, the torques exerted on the star by the magnetosphere, and the power extracted by the electromagnetic wind. We examine the conditions under which the system enters an equilibrium spin state, in which the accretion torque is instantaneously balanced by the pulsar wind torque alone. For magnetic moments, spin frequencies, and accretion rates relevant to accreting millisecond pulsars, the spin-down torque from this enhanced pulsar wind can be substantially larger than that predicted by existing models of the disk–magnetosphere interaction, and is in principle capable of maintaining spin equilibrium at frequencies less than 1 kHz. We speculate that this mechanism may account for the non-detection of frequency increases during outbursts of SAX J1808.4-3658 and XTE J1814-338, and may be generally responsible for preventing spin-up to sub-millisecond periods. If the pulsar wind is collimated by the surrounding environment, the resulting jet can satisfy the power requirements of the highly relativistic outflows from Cir X-1 and Sco X-1. In this framework, the jet power scales relatively weakly with accretion rate, L{sub j}∝ M-dot {sup 4/7}, and would be suppressed at high accretion rates only if the stellar magnetic moment is sufficiently low.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

HYDROMAGNETICS OF ADVECTIVE ACCRETION FLOWS AROUND BLACK HOLES: REMOVAL OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM BY LARGE-SCALE MAGNETIC STRESSES

We show that the removal of angular momentum is possible in the presence of large-scale magnetic stresses in geometrically thick, advective, sub-Keplerian accretion flows around black holes in steady state, in the complete absence of α-viscosity. The efficiency of such an angular momentum transfer could be equivalent to that of α-viscosity with α = 0.01–0.08. Nevertheless, the required field is well below its equipartition value, leading to a magnetically stable disk flow. This is essentially important in order to describe the hard spectral state of the sources when the flow is non/sub-Keplerian. We show in our simpler 1.5 dimensional, vertically averaged disk model that the larger the vertical-gradient of the azimuthal component of the magnetic field is, the stronger the rate of angular momentum transfer becomes, which in turn may lead to a faster rate of outflowing matter. Finding efficient angular momentum transfer in black hole disks via magnetic stresses alone, is very interesting when the generic origin of α-viscosity is still being explored.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

ON THE NATURE OF THE FIRST TRANSIENT Z SOURCE XTE J1701-462: ITS ACCRETION DISK STRUCTURE, NEUTRON STAR MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH, AND HARD TAIL

Using data from the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer, we investigate the spectral evolution along a 'Z' track and a '{nu}' track on the hardness-intensity diagrams of the first transient Z source XTE J1701-462. The spectral analyses suggest that the inner disk radius depends on the mass accretion rate, in agreement with the model prediction, R{sub in}{proportional_to}M-dot{sup 2/7}{sub disk}, for a radiation-pressure-dominated accretion disk interacting with the magnetosphere of a neutron star (NS). The changes in the disk mass accretion rate M-dot{sub disk} are responsible for the evolution of the 'Z' or '{nu}' track. Radiation pressure thickens the disk considerably and also produces significant outflows. The NS surface magnetic field strength, derived from the interaction between the magnetosphere and the radiation-pressure-dominated accretion disk, is {approx}(1-3) x 10{sup 9} G, which is possibly between normal atoll and Z sources. A significant hard tail is detected in the horizontal branches and we discuss several possible origins of the hard tail.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Generation of magnetic field on the accretion disk around a proto-first-star

The generation process of a magnetic field around a proto-first-star is studied. Utilizing the recent numerical results of proto-first-star formation based on radiation hydrodynamics simulations, we assess the magnetic field strength generated by the radiative force and the Biermann battery effect. We find that a magnetic field of ∼10{sup –9} G is generated on the surface of the accretion disk around the proto-first-star. The field strength on the accretion disk is smaller by two orders of magnitude than the critical value, above which the gravitational fragmentation of the disk is suppressed. Thus, the generated seed magnetic field hardly affect the dynamics of on-site first star formation directly, unless an efficient amplification process is taken into consideration. We also find that the generated magnetic field is continuously blown out from the disk on the outflows to the poles, that are driven by the thermal pressure of photoheated gas. The strength of the diffused magnetic field in low-density regions is ∼10{sup –14}-10{sup –13} G at n {sub H} = 10{sup 3} cm{sup –3}, which could play an important role in the next generation star formation, as well as the seeds of the magnetic field in the present-day universe.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

MAGNETIC FIELDS IN EARLY PROTOSTELLAR DISK FORMATION

We consider formation of accretion disks from a realistically turbulent molecular gas using 3D MHD simulations. In particular, we analyze the effect of the fast turbulent reconnection described by the Lazarian and Vishniac model for the removal of magnetic flux from a disk. With our numerical simulations we demonstrate how the fast reconnection enables protostellar disk formation resolving the so-called “magnetic braking catastrophe.” In particular, we provide a detailed study of the dynamics of a 0.5 M{sub ⊙} protostar and the formation of its disk for up to several thousands years. We measure the evolution of the mass, angular momentum, magnetic field, and turbulence around the star. We consider effects of two processes that strongly affect the magnetic transfer of angular momentum, both of which are based on turbulent reconnection: the first, “reconnection diffusion,” removes the magnetic flux from the disk; the other involves the change of the magnetic field's topology, but does not change the absolute value of the magnetic flux through the disk. We demonstrate that for the first mechanism, turbulence causes a magnetic flux transport outward from the inner disk to the ambient medium, thus decreasing the coupling of the disk to the ambient material. A similar effect is achieved through the change of the magnetic field's topology from a split monopole configuration to a dipole configuration. We explore how both mechanisms prevent the catastrophic loss of disk angular momentum and compare both above turbulent reconnection mechanisms with alternative mechanisms from the literature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Parsec-scale Obscuring Accretion Disk with Large-scale Magnetic Field in AGNs

A magnetic field dragged from the galactic disk, along with inflowing gas, can provide vertical support to the geometrically and optically thick pc-scale torus in AGNs. Using the Soloviev solution initially developed for Tokamaks, we derive an analytical model for a rotating torus that is supported and confined by a magnetic field. We further perform three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of X-ray irradiated, pc-scale, magnetized tori. We follow the time evolution and compare models that adopt initial conditions derived from our analytic model with simulations in which the initial magnetic flux is entirely contained within the gas torus. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the initial conditions based on the analytic solution produce a longer-lived torus that produces obscuration that is generally consistent with observed constraints.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic coupling in the disks around young gas giant planets

We examine the conditions under which the disks of gas and dust orbiting young gas giant planets are sufficiently conducting to experience turbulence driven by the magneto-rotational instability. By modeling the ionization and conductivity in the disk around proto-Jupiter, we find that turbulence is possible if the X-rays emitted near the Sun reach the planet's vicinity and either (1) the gas surface densities are in the range of the minimum-mass models constructed by augmenting Jupiter's satellites to solar composition, while dust is depleted from the disk atmosphere, or (2) the surface densities are much less, and in the range of gas-starved models fed with material from the solar nebula, but not so low that ambipolar diffusion decouples the neutral gas from the plasma. The results lend support to both minimum-mass and gas-starved models of the protojovian disk. (1) The dusty minimum-mass models have internal conductivities low enough to prevent angular momentum transfer by magnetic forces, as required for the material to remain in place while the satellites form. (2) The gas-starved models have magnetically active surface layers and a decoupled interior 'dead zone'. Similar active layers in the solar nebula yield accretion stresses in the range assumed in constructing the circumjovian gas-starved models. Our results also point to aspects of both classes of models that can be further developed. Non-turbulent minimum-mass models will lose dust from their atmospheres by settling, enabling gas to accrete through a thin surface layer. For the gas-starved models it is crucial to learn whether enough stellar X-ray and ultraviolet photons reach the circumjovian disk. Additionally, the stress-to-pressure ratio ought to increase with distance from the planet, likely leading to episodic accretion outbursts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

Imaging the equilibrium state and magnetization dynamics of partially built hard disk write heads

Four different designs of partially built hard disk write heads with a yoke comprising four repeats of NiFe (1 nm)/CoFe (50 nm) were studied by both x-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM) and time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy (TRSKM). These techniques were used to investigate the static equilibrium domain configuration and the magnetodynamic response across the entire structure, respectively. Simulations and previous TRSKM studies have made proposals for the equilibrium domain configuration of similar structures, but no direct observation of the equilibrium state of the writers has yet been made. In this study, static XPEEM images of the equilibrium state of writer structures were acquired using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism as the contrast mechanism. These images suggest that the crystalline anisotropy dominates the equilibrium state domain configuration, but competition with shape anisotropy ultimately determines the stability of the equilibrium state. Dynamic TRSKM images were acquired from nominally identical devices. These images suggest that a longer confluence region may hinder flux conduction from the yoke into the pole tip: the shorter confluence region exhibits clear flux beaming along the symmetry axis, whereas the longer confluence region causes flux to conduct along one edge of the writer. The observed variations in dynamic response agree well with the differences in the equilibrium magnetization configuration visible in the XPEEM images, confirming that minor variations in the geometric design of the writer structure can have significant effects on the process of flux beaming.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗