Spintronics, an emerging technology that exploits electron spin and its associated magnetic moment as well as electron charge, is an exciting and challenging area of nanotechnology. Spintronic devices, combining the advantages of magnetic materials and semiconductors, are likely to be stable, fast and capable of non-volatile data storage as well as being energy-efficient. Magnetic nanostructures, a crucial element to spintronics, have been the subject of extensive studies. Direct imaging of the magnetic configuration and spin dynamics in these magnetic nanostructures is especially important to the development of spintronics.

In this talk I will present imaging studies of the magnetic dynamics in nanostructured materials using two different methods: time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy and magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy. Magnetic images obtained using these methods have provided critical information for understanding magnetic vortex dynamics in micron and sub-micron scaled magnetic disks and unusual antisymmetric magnetoresistance in Pt/Co/Pt trilayers with a confined straight domain wall.