Modification of the domain wall structure and generation of submicron magnetic formations by local optical irradiation

Experimental and theoretical investigations are made of the generation of vertical Bloch lines in a magnetic iron garnet film exposed to pulsed optical radiation. High-speed photography and anisotropic dark-field microscopy are used to study characteristic features of the generation of Bloch lines and domain structure relaxation processes after the local action of a laser pulse. Optimum optical irradiation parameters to ensure the controlled generation of Bloch lines are established. A theoretical model is developed which links the generation of Bloch lines to the migration of domain walls induced by local changes in the distribution of the degaussing fields caused by a reduction in magnetization with temperature at the optical radiation focusing point. The experimental results indicate that the controlled formation of magnetic structures smaller than or of the order of 0.1 μm by local optical irradiation is quite feasible.     

Solitary flexural waves on a supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite

Solitary flexural waves on a supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite are observed and investigated. These waves have a sharp leading edge and a protracted trailing edge, reminiscent of the waves accompanying moving vertical Bloch lines in iron garnet films. The total velocity of the solitary flexural waves in yttrium orthoferrites for all observed amplitudes equals the maximum velocity of the domain walls. Two solitary waves with identical amplitudes colliding head-on are annihilated. The waves possess topological charges, and they move and form dynamic profiles under the influence of gyroscopic forces. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 10, 760–765 (25 May 1997)     

Drift of vertical Bloch lines in a domain wall with a noninterchangeable spectrum in perpendicularly magnetized films

The dynamics of vertical Bloch lines in variable external magnetic fields is examined with allowance for the magnetostatic noninterchangeability of the spectrum of the domain wall. The drift velocity of the translational motion of vertical Bloch lines is calculated and is found to be nonzero in second order in the weak oscillating field. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 2169–2177 (December 1997)     

Giant domain walls in a ferromagnet

Giant domain walls with a width of ∼7 μm are observed on the surface of a ferromagnet — an amorphous magnetically soft alloy. A magnetooptic investigation shows that the walls have a Néel structure in the subsurface region. The subsurface structure of these walls differs substantially from that of the narrower walls previously observed in iron, Permalloy, and amorphous materials. According to the theoretical model of Scheinfein and co-workers, which relates the width of an asymmetric Bloch wall in the bulk with the width at the surface, the width of the wall in the bulk is estimated to be 3–4 μm. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 8, 528–530 (25 October 1999)     

Dynamics of domain walls with drifting Bloch lines in single crystals of yttrium iron garnet

Induction and magnetic methods are used to study the effect of drifting Bloch lines on the wall velocity in a single crystal sample of yttrium iron garnet cut in the form of a long prism with only one 180-degree domain wall. A sharp increase in the velocity and in resonance bending vibrations of the wall are observed when Bloch line drift is initiated. The character of the wall motion is investigated under these conditions. An analysis of the experimental data shows that the effective reduction in the influence of drifting Bloch lines on the characteristics of the wall motion may be related to a magnetic aftereffect phenomenon. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 1377–1385 (April 1999)     

Spectrum of flexural oscillations of a domain wall with drifting Bloch lines

It is observed that in single-crystalline yttrium iron garnet the amplitude of characteristic flexural oscillations of a 180° domain wall containing Bloch lines increases sharply when drift of the Bloch lines is excited. The resonance frequencies of these oscillations are virtually identical to those of flexural oscillations of a monopolar wall. It is shown experimentally that this phenomenon is most likely caused by a magnetic aftereffect. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 1, 72–75 (10 January 1998)     

Nonlinear domain-wall dynamics in a system of two magnetic layers

The nonlinear dynamics of the magnetization in a spin-valve structure is investigated. Equations describing the dynamics of the magnetization in such a structure are obtained. The stability of the solution corresponding to a motionless flat domain wall is investigated. The nonlinear domain-wall dynamics are investigated in the approximation of a strong exchange interaction between the magnetic layers and in the approximation of a large magnetostatic energy. In the former case the nonlinear dynamical equations are shown to be similar to the equations describing the dynamics of the magnetization in a weak ferromagnet, and in the latter case they are similar to the equations of motion of a magnetic vortex (i.e., a vertical Bloch line) in a domain wall. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1365–1374 (October 1999)     

Néel lines in ferrimagnetic garnet epilayers with orthorhombic anisotropy and canted magnetization

Néel lines in (TbY)₃(FeAl)₅O₁₂ epitaxial layers with orthorhombic anisotropy and canted magnetization are optically observed by the presence of a kink of the wall plane. The intrinsically asymmetrical character of Bloch walls is demonstrated by wall widening experiments. It follows that wall kinking may either be a consequence of the anisotropy specific to the samples, and/or be the result of magnetostatic interactions. A relaxation type numerical computation of the Néel line configuration indicates that anisotropy is the main source of wall kinking, demagnetizing field effects contributing to an amplification of the kink. The structure of those Néel lines is shown to bear two characters, that of a half-circular line characteristic of samples with in-plane anisotropy and that of a splay line, well known in bubble materials. Further, the charge distribution appears basically dipolar and lines contract when the saturation magnetization increases. They are therefore magnetostatistically analogous to vertical Néel (most generally called Bloch) lines in garnet epilayers supporting bubbles.     

Transition micromagnetic structures in asymmetric vortexlike domain walls (Static solutions and dynamic reconstructions)

The possible types of transition structures with a three-dimensional magnetization distribution over regions in the vortex asymmetric domain walls that exist in magnetically uniaxial soft magnetic films with in-plane anisotropy are studied by computer simulation in terms of a micromagnetic approach. It is shown that the possible structure types include both the type of vertical Bloch lines that was discussed earlier in other works and new types, namely, singular (Bloch) points and clusters consisting of vertical Bloch lines and Bloch points. The spatial configurations of the transition structures are calculated and their topological properties are found. The numerical simulation of the dynamics of closely spaced substructure regions reveals various scenarios of their interaction, including annihilation accompanied by energy release and the excitation of nonlinear waves.     

Bloch lines in domain walls of antiferromagnets

Approximants describing the substructure of 180° domain walls in antiferromagnets with a high uniaxial anisotropy are derived. The structure and spectrum of Bloch lines separating the parts of domain walls with oppositely directed antiferromagnetic vectors are determined.     

Effects of Bloch lines and Bloch points on resonances of magnetic bubbles

Resonant spectra of 180° domain-wall oscillations in isolated magnetic bubbles are obtained with swept rf sinusoidal excitation and magnetooptic detection. The resonant frequencies are found to depend on the domain wall state. A quantitative micromagnetic theory involving contributions to the wall mass from already-present vertical Bloch lines with and without Bloch points explains the resonant frequencies, including their field dependence, and relates them to the wall states. It is found that for small in-plane fields, Bloch lines provide most of the effective wall mass. Moreover, if a Bloch point is present on a Bloch line, it tends to decrease the Bloch-line mass contribution.     

Static properties of asymmetric vortex-like domain walls in magnetically uniaxial thick films

The structure and energy of asymmetric vortex-like Bloch and Néel walls in a magnetically uniaxial film with an easy magnetization axis lying in the film plane are investigated by numerically minimizing the total energy within the rigorous micromagnetic approach and the two-dimensional model of the magnetization distribution. The calculations are performed over wide ranges of film thicknesses b (up to b = 1 μm) and magnetic parameters of the films. It is established that the asymmetric vortex-like domain walls are the most universal wall structures in the films under consideration. In magnetically uniaxial films, unlike in magnetically multiaxial films, the asymmetric Bloch walls are always stable.     

“Unusual” domain walls in multilayer systems: Ferromagnet + layered antiferromagnet

The structure and conditions for the onset of a new type of domain wall in multilayer systems comprising a ferromagnet and a layered antiferromagnet is investigated by numerical simulation. Domain walls occur as the result of frustrations produced by interface roughness, i.e., by the existence of atomic steps on them. The domain walls are investigated both in a ferromagnetic film on a layered antiferromagnetic substrate and in multilayer structures. It is shown that a domain wall broadens with increasing distance from the interface; this trend is attributed to the nontrivial dependence of the wall energy on the thickness of the layer. The structure of the domain walls in multilayer ferromagnet-layered antiferromagnet systems varies dramatically as a function of the energies of interlayer and in-layer exchange interactions between adjacent layers. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1817–1826 (November 1998)     

Static and dynamic properties of an isolated strip domain in a thin ferromagnetic film

A perturbation theory is developed for the integrodifferential Landau-Lifshits equation that describes the state of 2π-domain walls in ferromagnetic films. The static and dynamic parameters of a 2π-domain wall are determined, taking into account its micromagnetic structure. The limits of applicability of geometric domain wall models are indicated. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 269–273 (February 1998)     

Domain wall energy in ErCrO3

Domain structure in ErCrO₃ was studied from 10 K up to the Néel temperature by means of Faraday effect. Experimental temperature dependence of domain wall energy was obtained. Using a two-sublattice molecular-field model, the expression for the domain wall energy density was derived. It was shown that domain walls in ErCrO₃ have a Bloch wall character with the rotation of the sublattice magnetization in (ac) plane.     

Dynamics of domain walls in ultrathin magnetic films

The domain walls in ultrathin ferromagnetic films with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy are investigated theoretically. It is shown that taking account of the magnetodipole and magnetoelastic interactions leads to the appearance of an effective anisotropy with respect to the direction of the normal to the plane of the wall. The existence of a new type of domain walls—“corner” walls, at which the magnetization vector is rotated in the plane making a certain angle, which depends on the film parameters, with the plane of the domain wall and the static and dynamic properties of these walls are investigated. The dependence of the limiting velocity of the domain walls on the film thickness is found. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 1476–1489 (October 1997)     

On the possible internal structure of the ferroelectric Ising lines in BaTiO3

ABSTRACT

This article is devoted to a detailed analysis of the inner structure of the Ising line, a topological defect separating two parts of a ferroelectric Bloch domain wall with opposite helicity, in the framework of the phenomenological Ginzburg–Landau–Devonshire model. Results performed for Ising lines in a ?211?-oriented 180-degree domain wall of rhombohedral BaTiO₃ suggest remarkably strong dependence of the polarization profiles on the form of gradient terms. Profiles of the skyrmion density, vorticity and divergence of the polarization field were calculated numerically in the few-nm vicinity of the Ising line defect.     

Mikromagnetisch singuläre punkte in bubbles

The magnetization pattern of a vertical Bloch line in a bubble wall containing a singular point in its center is investigated by a variational method. Introducing a hypothetical intermediate structure, the energy of such a configuration can be separated into two parts: one which describes a local embedding energy for the singular point, and one which may be derived from the structure of the domain wall only. The results indicate that above a critical film thickness Bloch lines containing a singular point represent, in agreement with a prediction by Slonczewski, the energetically most favourable configuration.     

Tunneling of magnetic domain walls in the quasirelativistic limit

An additional mechanism which increases the probability of tunneling of magnetic domain walls through defects of a crystal is discussed. In contrast to the thermally stimulated tunneling mechanisms described previously (c.f. Refs. 7 and 8), which arise when the wall acquires additional energy from the thermal system of the crystal, the latter mechanism is produced by the change in the structure of the walls themselves at high energies, which changes the character of their interaction with defects. The results of analytic and numerical analyses of this effect are reported. A discussion and an interpretation of existing experimental results. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1264–1266 (July 1999)     

垂直布洛赫线在畴段畴壁中的形成和消失

在不同的直流偏场下,对脉冲偏场作用后的磁泡膜中的磁畴观测结果表明:磁泡膨胀时的分枝生长往往伴随有大量垂直布洛赫线(以下称VBL)产生;它的正负与反向畴膨胀时所施加的直流偏场大小有确定关系;在幅度不太高的系列脉冲作用下畴端运动可使畴壁中形成大量VBL;足够强的脉冲偏场可使VBL消失。 关键词：