Dynamic origin of vortex core switching in soft magnetic nanodots

The magnetic vortex with in-plane curling magnetization and out-of-plane magnetization at the core is a unique ground state in nanoscale magnetic elements. This kind of magnetic vortex can be used, through its downward or upward core orientation, as a memory unit for information storage, and thus, controllable core switching deserves some special attention. Our analytical and micromagnetic calculations reveal that the origin of vortex core reversal is a gyrotropic field. This field is induced by vortex dynamic motion and is proportional to the velocity of the moving vortex. Our calculations elucidate the physical origin of the vortex core dynamic reversal, and, thereby, offer a key to effective manipulation of the vortex core orientation.     

磁涡旋极性翻转的局域能量

针对坡莫合金纳米圆盘中的单个磁涡旋结构,采用微磁学模拟研究了磁涡旋极性翻转过程中的局域能量密度.磁涡旋的极性翻转通过与初始涡旋极性相反的涡旋与反涡旋对的生成,以及随后发生的反涡旋与初始涡旋的湮没来实现.模拟结果显示当纳米圆盘样品中局域能量密度的最大值达到一临界值时,磁涡旋将会实现极性翻转,其中交换能起主导作用.基于涡旋极性翻转过程中出现的三涡旋态结构,应用刚性磁涡旋模型对局域交换能量密度进行了理论分析.通过刚性磁涡旋模型得到的磁涡旋极性翻转所需的局域交换能量密度的临界值与模拟结果符合得较好.     

Edge-soliton-mediated vortex-core reversal dynamics

We report an additional reversal mechanism of magnetic vortex cores in nanodot elements driven by currents flowing perpendicular to the sample plane, occurring via dynamic transformations between two coupled edge solitons and bulk vortex solitons. This mechanism differs completely from the well-known switching process mediated by the creation and annihilation of vortex-antivortex pairs in terms of the associated topological solitons, energies, and spin-wave emissions. Strongly localized out-of-plane gyrotropic fields induced by the fast motion of the coupled edge solitons enable a magnetization dip that plays a crucial role in the formation of the reversed core magnetization. This work provides a deeper physical insight into the dynamic transformations of magnetic topological solitons in nanoelements.     

Arrangement effects of triangular defects on magnetization reversal process in a permalloy dot

The arrangement effects of triangular defects on the magnetization configurations and switching process of a permalloy disk are investigated by micromagnetic simulations. For the case of one defect, the vortex is nucleated via the S state (W state) as the direction of the triangular defect is parallel (perpendicular) to the orientation of the external field. For the case of two defects, two types of switching processes are found dependent on their arrangement. For the two triangular defects with the same direction, the reversal occurs via formation, pinning, depinning and annihilation of the vortex state, however, for the two triangular defects with the opposite directions, the reversal is realized by formation and annihilation of the double-vortex state. The nucleation field for the disk with a triangular defect is more sensitive to the defect position than the case of a circular (square) defect, and it shows different variation trends for different triangular directions. The chirality of the vortex state nucleated in the reversal process can be controlled by the triangular defect.     

Faster vortex core switching with lower current density using three-nanocontact spin-polarized currents in a confined structure

We perform micromagnetic simulations on the switching of magnetic vortex core by using spin-polarized currents through a three-nanocontact geometry. Our simulation results show that the current combination with an appropriate current flow direction destroys the symmetry of the total effective energy of the system so that the vortex core can be easier to excite,resulting in less critical current density and a faster switching process. Besides its fundamental significance, our findings provide an additional route to incorporating magnetic vortex phenomena into data storage devices.     

Influence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on the magnetic vortex reversal in an off-centered nanocontact geometry

The influence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) on the vortex reversal driven by an out-of-plane spin-polarized current in an off-centered nanocontact structure is investigated. The simulation results show that DMI plays a vital role in vortex core reversal, including reversal current density, reversal velocity and reversal time. Under the influence of DMI, magnetic vortices still reverse polarity through the nucleation and annihilation of vortex and anti-vortex, with some peculiar characteristics. These results open up new possibilities for the application of magnetic vortex-based spin-transfer encryption nano-storage.     

Time-resolved imaging of spin transfer switching: beyond the macrospin concept

Time-resolved images of the magnetization switching process in a spin transfer structure, obtained by ultrafast x-ray microscopy, reveal the limitations of the macrospin model. Instead of a coherent magnetization reversal, we observe switching by lateral motion of a magnetic vortex across a nanoscale element. Our measurements reveal the fundamental roles played independently by the torques due to charge and spin currents in breaking the magnetic symmetry on picosecond time scales.     

Direct observation of spin-torque driven magnetization reversal through nonuniform modes

We present time-resolved x-ray images with 30 nm spatial and 70 ps temporal resolution, which reveal details of the spatially resolved magnetization evolution in nanoscale samples of various dimensions during reversible spin-torque switching processes. Our data in conjunction with micromagnetic simulations suggest a simple unified picture of magnetic switching based on the motion of a magnetic vortex. With decreasing size of the magnetic element the path of the vortex core moves from inside to outside of the nanoelement, and the switching process evolves from a curled nonuniform to an increasingly uniform mode.     

Magnetization dynamics: ultra-fast and ultra-small

Ultrafast magnetic processes are of great scientific interest but also form the basis of high density magnetic recording applications. We demonstrate the uniqueness of time resolved, high resolution magnetic X-ray microscopy, and show that the motion of a magnetic vortex core can be imaged. The vortex core direction is hidden to most experimental techniques, but has a decisive influence on the dynamics of the magnetic structure.We imaged the switching of a ferromagnetic nanostructure by a spin polarized current pulse using time resolved X-ray microscopy. As opposed to the common uniform switching process due to Néel and Stoner–Wohlfarth, the magnetization in spin injection devices does not switch uniformly, but involves the motion of a magnetic vortex. To cite this article: Y. Acremann, C. R. Physique 9 (2008).     

Controlling double vortex states in low-dimensional dipolar systems

The reversal process of the chirality of each opposite vortex belonging to a double vortex state in ferromagnetic hysterons, via the application of in-plane magnetic fields, is reported. Simulations reveal that such a process involves the formation of four intermediate states, including original ones. Hysteresis loops can occur only in a counterclockwise fashion because of one of these intermediate states. Double vortex states can also be controlled by electric fields in ferroelectric nanostructures of different shapes, but with some key differences with respect to the ferromagnetic case.     

True single domain and configuration-assisted switching of submicron Permalloy dots observed by electron holography

The switching behavior of submicron circular Permalloy nanomagnets has been investigated. Electron holography provides a magnetic resolution of down to 10 nm. This allows us to observe in detail the switching and to measure the induction within single nanodots with diameters down to 150 nm at a thickness of 6 nm. Particles of these dimensions show a single domain state during the whole switching process which takes place at external fields of only a few 100 A/m. For larger or thicker particles the magnetization reversal runs via the formation of a C state or an intermediate vortex state.     

Magnetization reversal in submicron disks: exchange biased vortices

Submicron, circular, ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic dots exhibit different magnetization reversal mechanisms depending on the direction of the magnetic applied field. Shifted, constricted hysteresis loops, typical for vortex formation, are observed for fields along the exchange bias direction. However, for fields applied close to perpendicular to the exchange bias direction, magnetization reversal occurs via coherent rotation. Magnetic force microscopy imaging together with micromagnetic simulations are used to further clarify the different magnetic switching behaviors.     

Dependence of switching process on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant in P-MTJ

We investigate the dependence of the switching process on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA) constant in perpendicular spin transfer torque magnetic tunnel junctions(P-MTJs) using micromagnetic simulations. It is found that the final stable states of the magnetization distribution of the free layer after switching can be divided into three different states based on different PMA constants: vortex, uniform, and steady. Different magnetic states can be attributed to a trade-off among demagnetization, exchange, and PMA energies. The generation of the vortex state is also related to the non-uniform stray field from the polarizer, and the final stable magnetization is sensitive to the PMA constant. The vortex and uniform states have different switching processes, and the switching time of the vortex state is longer than that of the uniform state due to hindrance by the vortex.     

The role of dipolar interactions for the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic nanoring

We investigate numerically the effects of the dipolar interactions on magnetic properties in small ferromagnetic nanorings using a Monte Carlo technique. Our simulated results show that the strength of dipolar interaction in the magnetic nanoring has an important influence on the magnetization reversal processes and further the coercivity and the remanence. As the dipolar interaction increases, the transition of magnetization reversal processes from the onion-rotation state to the vortex state can occur, which results in an increase in coercivity and a decrease in remanence. On the other hand, it is found that the coercivity and the remanence depend more strongly on the strength of dipolar coupling for the relatively small size nanoring than for the large size nanoring in width. This can be attributed to the stable vortex state without core in smaller width nanoring in contrast to the metastable vortex state with core in larger width nanoring, induced by strong dipolar interactions. Additionally, the temperature dependence of coercivity and remanence in magnetic nanoring is also studied at a fixed dipolar interaction.     

Micromagnetic simulation of magnetic vortex cores in circular permalloy disks: Switching behavior in external magnetic field

Switching behaviors of magnetic vortex cores under external magnetic field in submicron circular permalloy disks have been systematically studied by using micromagnetic simulations. Simulation results show that the vortex core is stable in out-of-plane field even when it is located at the edge of the disk. The out-of-plane switching field H_sw is strongly dependent on the thickness of the disk. The core polarity and the vortex chirality can be modulated simultaneously on purpose by using a tilted field far smaller than the out-of-plane switching field H_sw. Moreover, it is found that the core polarities in asymmetric disks do not follow the direction of the z projection of the external saturation field.     

Reliable control of magnetic vortex chirality in asymmetrically optimized magnetic nanodisk

Magnetic vortex has attracted attention in the field of information storage because their topological spin structures with chiral bistable states. If the vortex core polarity and vortex circulation sense can be controlled simultaneously in a nanodisk, which will be more beneficial to realize the multi-bit ultrahigh density storage. In this paper, a reliable control scheme for magnetic vortex chirality is proposed by optimizing the structure of Pac-Man-like nanodisk. The results show that the polarity and circulation of the vortex can be controlled simultaneously by changing the direction of the global magnetic field, and even the chiral states of the vortex can be determined by detecting the stray field distribution on the surface of the nanodisk. The optimized Pac-Man-like nanodisk provide an experimental method for the control and detection of magnetic vortex chirality, which will be beneficial to the realization of multi-bit magnetic storage or magnetic logic technology in the future.     

Switching of vortex polarization in 2D easy-plane magnets by magnetic fields

We investigate the dynamics of out-of-plane (OP) vortices, in a 2-dimensional (2D) classical Heisenberg magnet with a weak anisotropy in the coupling of z-components of spins (easy plane anisotropy), on square lattices, under the influence of a rotating in-plane (IP) magnetic field. Switching of the z-component of magnetization of the vortex is studied in computer simulations as a function of the magnetic field's amplitude and frequency. The effects of the size and the anisotropy of the system on the switching process are shown. An approximate dynamical equivalence of the system, in the bulk limit, to another system with both IP and OP static fields in the rotating reference frame is demonstrated, and qualitatively the same switching and critical behavior is obtained in computer simulations for both systems. We briefly discuss the interplay between finite size effects (image vortices) and the applied field in the dynamics of OP vortices. In the framework of a discrete reduced model of the vortex core we propose a mechanism for switching the vortex polarization, which can account qualitatively for all our results. A coupling between the IP movement (trajectories) of the vortex center and the OP core structure oscillations, due to the discreteness of the underlying lattice, is shown. A connection between this coupling and our reduced model is made clear, through an analogy with a generalized Thiele equation. Received 6 June 2002 / Received in final form 4 November 2002 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: juan.zagorodny@uni-bayreuth.de     

Strong radiation of spin waves by core reversal of a magnetic vortex and their wave behaviors in magnetic nanowire waveguides

We conducted micromagnetic numerical studies on the strong radiation of spin waves (SWs) produced by the magnetic-field-induced reversal of a magnetic vortex core, as well as their wave behaviors in magnetic nanowires. It was found that the radial SWs can be emitted intensively from a vortex core in a circular dot by virtue of localized large torques employed at the core, and then can be injected into a long nanowire via their contact. These SWs exhibit wave characteristics such as propagation, reflection, transmission, interference, and dispersion. These results offer a preview of the generation, delivery, and manipulation of SWs in magnetic elements, which are applicable to information-signal processing in potential SW devices.     

矩形磁性纳米点动力学反磁化过程的微磁学研究

采用微磁学模拟方法研究了初始态为C形磁结构的矩形CoFe纳米点在方波脉冲场作用下的动力学反磁化过程.研究发现,随着脉冲场强的增强,磁体的反磁化模式发生了改变.当场强较弱时反磁化过程通过畴壁移动-单涡旋的形成和移动来完成;当场强较大时反磁化过程模式转变为畴壁移动-双涡旋的形成与移动;在更强的场强下反磁化过程通过畴壁的移动-多涡旋的形成与湮没来实现.由于反磁化模式随场强的变化而改变,反磁化时间随场强的增大出现振荡变化现象. 关键词： 动力学反磁化过程 反磁化时间 微磁学模拟     

MFM study of magnetic vortex cores in circular permalloy dots: behavior in external field

In a circular dot of permalloy with an appropriate size, a vortex structure with perpendicular (turned-up) magnetization at the core is realized. The existence of the perpendicular magnetization spot has been confirmed and the direction of the magnetization, up or down, has been determined by magnetic force microscopy (MFM) for permalloy dots with the diameter of 0.1–1 μm. The switching field of turned-up magnetization is determined by applying external fields perpendicularly and in tilted directions to the plane. By comparing the MFM results and the magnetization curves measured by a SQUID magnetometer, the switching process of turned-up magnetization is argued.