Depth-resolved measurements of magnetic domains in grain-oriented electrical steel

A new method for obtaining depth-resolved measurements with an x-ray magnetic circularly polarized emission (XMCPE) microscope is reported in this work. Depth-resolved observations of magnetic domains well below the surface of thick opaque specimens are important for industrial applications. XMCPE is a suitable technique for this purpose because of its long penetration length and large magnetic dichroic effect. Utilizing the proposed method, a confocal microscope is constructed, and several cross-sectional images of magnetic domains of grain-oriented electrical steel are obtained to demonstrate the performance of the developed depth-resolved microscope. A single component of the magnetization vector is surveyed. The spatial resolution of the microscope is estimated to be ≈10μm.