Magnetostriction in Ni Nanowires: Coherent X-ray Diffraction and Density Functional Analysis*

Three-dimensional magnetostriction is mapped in Ni nanowires with the aid of Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction (BCXDI). By inverting the measured BCXDI patterns using iterative phase retrieval algorithms giant magnetostrictive strain are observed due to a differential anisotropy of the lattice displacements along the [111] and (001) directions. Density functional calculations performed is consistent with the experimental observation. Our finding paves the way for the fabrication and development of novel magnetostrictive sensor elements.