Cone phase and magnetization fluctuations in Au/Co/Au thin films near the spin-reorientation transition

Using coherent soft x-ray scattering we have measured slow magnetization fluctuations in an Au/Co/Au heterostructure near a thermally driven spin-reorientation phase transition. The intermediate scattering function is well described by a stretched exponential, suggesting cooperative motion through the transition. The decay times were found to exhibit a pronounced maximum as a function of temperature. We argue that the transition proceeds through...