APPROACH TO MESOSCOPIC MAGNETIC MEASUREMENTS

Measurements of the electrical resistance of mesoscopic systems can provide useful information concerning properties other than those directly related to transport. We illustrate this point using results for the magnetic-field dependence of the resistance of thin Ni wires and films. We show how such measurements can yield detailed information concerning the behavior of the magnetization in these systems. In many cases such transport studies can provide the same information as, and are much simpler than, direct measurement of the magnetization. We believe that this approach may be of great general utility in the study of mesoscopic systems. In addition, our specific results for mesoscopic Ni structures have revealed what appears to be, to our knowledge, a hitherto unrecognized contribution to the magnetoresistance in ferromagnets. © 1995 The American Physical Society.