Magnetic Domain Structure and Magnetic Anisotropy in<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">G</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">a</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">M</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">n</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">A</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">s</mml:mi></mml:math>

Large, well-defined magnetic domains, on the scale of hundreds of micrometers, are observed in Ga1-xMn(x)As epilayers using a high-resolution magneto-optical imaging technique. The orientations of the magnetic moments in the domains clearly show in-plane magnetic anisotropy, which changes through a second-order transition from a biaxial mode (easy axes nearly along [100] and [010]) at low temperatures to an unusual uniaxial mode (easy axis along [110]) as the temperature increases above about T(c)/2. This transition is a result of the interplay between the natural cubic anisotropy of the GaMnAs zinc-blende structure and a uniaxial anisotropy which attribute to the effects of surface reconstruction.

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