Magnetic neutron scattering by magnetic vortices in thin submicron-sized soft ferromagnetic cylinders

peer reviewedUsing analytical expressions for the magnetization textures of thin submicron-sized magnetic cylinders in vortex state, we derive closed-form algebraic expressions for the ensuing small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) cross sections. Specifically, for the perpendicular and parallel scattering geometries, we have computed the cross sections for the case of small vortex-center displacements without formation of magnetic charges on the side faces of the cylinder. The results represent a significant qualitative and quantitative step forward in SANS-data analysis on isolated magnetic nanoparticle systems, which are commonly assumed to be homogeneously or stepwise-homogeneously magnetized. We suggest a way to extract the fine details of the magnetic vortex structure during the magnetization process from the SANS measurements in order to help resolving the long-standing question of the magnetic vortex displacement mode