Time-resolved ferromagnetic resonance in epitaxial Fe1-xCox films

Magnetodynamics in epitaxial Fe1-xCox films on GaAs (100) are studied using time-resolved ferromagnetic resonance, in which the free precession of the magnetization after an impulsive excitation is measured using the polar Kerr effect. The sample is rotated with respect to the static and pulsed field directions, providing a complete mapping of the free energy surface and characteristic relaxation times. The magnetic response can be simulated with a simple coherent rotation model except in the immediate vicinity of switching fields. Bulk and surface anisotropies are identified, and unusual dynamics associated with the coexistence of cubic and uniaxial anisotropies are observed.