Influence of domain structure induced coupling on magnetization reversal of Co/Pt/Co film with perpendicular anisotropy

A magnetic multilayer of substrate/Pt-15 nm/Co-0.8 nm/Pt-wedge 0-7 nm/Co-0.6 nm/Pt-2 nm structure is characterized by a perpendicular anisotropy of the Co layers and by graded interlayer coupling between them. Using magnetooptical Kerr microscopy we observed a distinct influence of magnetic domains in one Co layer on the nucleation field and positions of nucleation sites of reversed domains in the second Co layer. For sufficiently strong interlayer coupling a replication of magnetic domains from the magnetically harder layer to the magnetically softer layer is observed.