We have theoretically investigated changes in reflection coefficients induced by misfit strain located near the interface between an iron-yttrium garnet magnetic film and a nonmagnetic gadolinium-gallium garnet substrate in a transverse magneto-optical configuration.

Local coercivity variation of Co/Pd nanomultilayers has been investigated by measuring the polar Kerr hysteresis loops of local areas of submicron size using a magnetooptic Kerr microscope system. Interestingly, the local coercivity distribution is very sensitive to an increase in the number of repeats: the $(2-{\AA}\;Co/ll-{\AA} Pd)_10$ sample showed a smooth variation of the local coercivity, while $(2-{\AA}\;Co/ll-{\AA} Pd)_18$ showed a large fluctuation. From micromagnetic considerations based on a thermally activated relaxation odel, we have found that this local coercivity variation has a crucial effect on the contrasting magnetization reversal behavior observed in those samples: dominant wall-motion far the former sample and dominant nucleation for the latter one.

Electron spin resonance and magnetization measurements were carried out on $La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO_3$ in the ferromagnetic as well as paramagnetic phases. Evidence of an inhomogeneous magnetic structure, consisting of ferro-magnetic microregions embedded in an antiferromagnetic matrix near $T_c$, as well as similar local magnetic structures above and below $T_c$, were found.

We have investigated the finite temperature magnetic ordering in the quasi-two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic system $(C_nH{2n+1}NH_3)_2MnCl_4$ with various chain lengths n. Our results far the transition temperatures and the exchange energies for long chain compounds are in marked contrast to previous expectations.

The garnets $Nd_{1-x}Bi_xY_2Fe_5O_{12}$ ($\chi$=0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0) have been studied by x-rays, electron microscopy, ferromagnetic resonance, vibrating sample magnetometer and Mossbauer spectroscopy, Ultra-fine polycrystalline cubic samples have been prepared by a melt-salt routed sol-gel method. The Mossbauer spectra consist of two sets of six-line patterns corresponding to $Fe^{3+}$ at the tetrahedral 24(d) and octahedral 16(a) sites. Magnetic hyperfine fields of $Nd_{0.5}Bi_{0.5}Y_2Fe_5O_{12}$ at 12 K are found to be 548 kOe (octahedral site) and 475 kOe (tetrahedral site), respectively, It is found that Debye temperatures for the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of $Nd_{0.75}Bi_{0.25}Y_2Fe_5O_{12}$ are $\theta_{tet}=436$ K and $\theta_{oct}=285$ K, respectively, The iron ions at both sites are highly covalent ferric. The Nel temperature decreases linearly with Bi concentration, from 630 K fur $\chi$=0.0 to 600 K for $\chi$=1.0, suggesting that the superexchange interaction for the Nd-O-Fe link is stronger than that for the Bi-O-Fe link. As a consequence, the coercivity of $Nd_{1-x}Bi_xY_2Fe_5O_{12}$ drastically decreases and the magnetization remains almost constant as x increases.

The effects of a hard-biased Held on the magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of a crossed spin-valve head are investigated by computer simulation with particular emphasis on the asymmetry of the output signal. The spin-valve considered in this work is NiMn (25 nm)/NiFe (2.5 m)/Cu (3 nm)/NiFe (5.5 m), with a length of 1500 m and a width of 600 nm. A simple model is used where each magnetic layer consists of a single domain, and the magnetoresistance is a function of the angle between the magnetization directions of the two magnetic layers. The ideal crossed spin-valve structure is not realized with the present model and magnetic parameters, but the deviation from ideality is decreased by the hard-biased field. This results in the improvement of the linearity of the output signal with the use of the bias field. The magnetoresistance ratio and magnetoresistive sensitivity, however are reduced. The magnetic properties including the magnetoresistance are found to be strongly affected by magnetostatic interactions, particularly the inter-layer magnetostatic field.

We have investigated the effects of Ar and$O_2$-ion milling on the exchange coupling field ($H_{ex}$) and coercive field ($H_c$) at the interfaces between substrates and NiO/NiFe films, to understand the exchange biasing mechanism. The $O_2$-ion milling was successfully performed by means of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) process. We found that the local roughness gradient of the NiO surface increased by $O_2$-ion milling. The ratio of $H_{ex}/H_c$ increased from 0.87 to 1.77, whereas $H_c$ decreased by almost a half as a results of the ion milling. The decrease in $H_c$could be interpreted as due to the refinement of magnetic domain size, which arose from the increase of the local roughness gradient of the NiO surface. The decrease in low $H_c$, and increase in $H_{ex}$ in NiO spin valves by ECR-ion milling are in the right direction far use in magnetoresistance (MR) heads.