Longitudinal magneto-optical images of stray fields on the surfaces of hard magnetic elements

Highlights: • The shape of the magnets generates features of the MOKE in the indicator films. • The bisectors of the shapes separate the areas of different intensity of MO-images. • The contrast between the areas decreases with the increasing angles in the shape. • A qualitative explanation of the observed patterns was given. The structure of magneto-optic images of the planar component of stray fields on the faces of prismatic hard magnetic elements is determined experimentally and by means of computer simulation. Magneto-optical images were registered using the longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect. FeCo films with in-plane anisotropy were used as indicator films. A qualitative explanation to the structure of magneto-optical images was given on the ground of the symmetry of the plane field, produced by hard magnetic elements.