Virginia TechMukherjee, T.Pleimling, Michel J.Binek, C.2014-05-072014-05-072010-10Mukherjee, T.; Pleimling, M.; Binek, C., "Probing equilibrium by nonequilibrium dynamics: Aging in Co/Cr superlattices," Phys. Rev. B 82, 134425 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.1344251098-0121http://hdl.handle.net/10919/47876Magnetization relaxation is investigated in a structurally ordered magnetic Co/Cr superlattice. Tailored nanoscale periodicity creates mesoscopic spatial magnetic correlations with slow relaxation dynamics when quenching the system into a nonequilibrium state. Magnetization transients are measured after exposing the heterostructure to a magnetic set field for various waiting times. Scaling analysis reveals an asymptotic power-law behavior in accordance with a full aging scenario. The temperature dependence of the relaxation exponent shows pronounced anomalies at the equilibrium phase transitions of the antiferromagnetic superstructure and the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition of the Co layers. The latter leaves only weak fingerprints in the equilibrium magnetic behavior but gives rise to a prominent change in nonequilibrium properties. Our findings suggest scaling analysis of nonequilibrium data as a probe for weak equilibrium phase transitions.en-USIn Copyrightmagnetization datafilmsmagnetismsystemsphysics, condensed matterArticle - Refereedhttp://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.134425https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.134425