Universality classes of magnetic domain wall motion

We examine magnetic domain wall motion in metallic nanowires Pt-Co-Pt. Regardless of whether the motion is driven by either magnetic fields or current, all experimental data fall onto a single universal curve in the creep regime, implying that both the motions belong to the same universality class. This result is in contrast to the report on magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As exhibiting two different universality classes. Our finding signals the possible existence of yet other universality classes which go beyond the present understanding of the statistical mechanics of driven interfaces.     

Crossed-ratchet effects for magnetic domain wall motion

We study both experimentally and theoretically the driven motion of domain walls in extended amorphous magnetic films patterned with a periodic array of asymmetric holes. We find two crossed-ratchet effects of opposite sign that change the preferred sense for domain wall propagation, depending on whether a flat or a kinked wall is moving. By solving numerically a simple phi(4) model we show that the essential physical ingredients for this effect are quite generic and could be realized in other experimental systems involving elastic interfaces moving in multidimensional ratchet potentials.     

Angular dependence of domain wall resistivity in artificial magnetic domain structures

We exploit the ability to precisely control the magnetic domain structure of perpendicularly magnetized Pt/Co/Pt trilayers to fabricate artificial domain wall arrays and study their transport properties. The scaling behavior of this model system confirms the intrinsic domain wall origin of the magnetoresistance, and systematic studies using domains patterned at various angles to the current flow are excellently described by an angular-dependent resistivity tensor containing perpendicular and parallel domain wall resistivities. We find that the latter are fully consistent with Levy-Zhang theory, which allows us to estimate the ratio of minority to majority spin carrier resistivities, rho downward arrow/rho upward arrow approximately 5.5, in good agreement with thin film band structure calculations.     

Temperature dependence of the spin torque effect in current-induced domain wall motion

We present an experimental study of domain wall motion induced by current pulses as well as by conventional magnetic fields at temperatures between 2 and 300 K in a 110 nm wide and 34 nm thick Ni80Fe20 ring. We observe that, in contrast with field-induced domain wall motion, which is a thermally activated process, the critical current density for current-induced domain wall motion increases with increasing temperature, which implies a reduction of the spin torque efficiency. The effect of Joule heating due to the current pulses is measured and taken into account to obtain critical fields and current densities at constant sample temperatures. This allows for a comparison of our results with theory.     

Current-induced domain wall motion in magnetic nanowires with spatial variation

We model current-induced domain wall motion in magnetic nanowires with the variable width. Employing the collective coordinate method we trace the wall dynamics. The effect of the width modulation is implemented by spatial dependence of an effective magnetic field. The wall destination in the potential energy landscape due to the magnetic anisotropy and the spatial nonuniformity is obtained as a function of the current density. For a nanowire of a periodically modulated width, we identify three (pinned, nonlinear, and linear) current density regimes for current-induced wall motion. The threshold current densities depend on the pulse duration as well as the magnitude of wire modulation. In the nonlinear regime, application of ns order current pulses results in wall displacement which opposes or exceeds the prediction of the spin transfer mechanism. The finding explains stochastic nature of the domain wall displacement observed in recent experiments.     

Current-induced domain wall motion

The present understanding of domain wall motion induced by spin-polarized electric current is assessed by considering a subset of experiments, analytical models, and numerical simulations based on an important model system: soft magnetic nanowires. Examination of this work demonstrates notable progress in characterizing the experimental manifestations of the “spin-torque” interaction, and in describing that interaction at a phenomenological level. At the same time, an experimentally verified microscopic understanding of the basic mechanisms will require substantial future efforts, both experimental and theoretical.     

Real-space observation of current-driven domain wall motion in submicron magnetic wires

We report direct observation of current-driven magnetic domain wall (DW) displacement by using a well-defined single DW in a microfabricated magnetic wire with submicron width. Magnetic force microscopy visualizes that a single DW introduced in a wire is displaced back and forth by positive and negative pulsed current, respectively. The direct observation gives quantitative information on the DW displacement as a function of the intensity and the duration of the pulsed current. The result is discussed in terms of the spin-transfer mechanism.     

Current induced domain wall motion in nanostripes with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We report micromagnetic modeling results of current induced domain wall (DW) motion in magnetic devices with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy by solving the Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert equation including adiabatic and non-adiabatic terms. A nanostripe model system with dimensions of 500 nm (L)×25 nm (W)×5 nm (H) was selected for calculating the DW motion and its width, as a function of various parameters such as non-adiabatic contribution, anisotropy constant (K_u), saturation magnetization (M_s), and temperature (T). The DW velocity was found to increase when the values of K_u and T were increased and the M_s value decreased. In addition, a reduction of the domain wall width could be achieved by increasing K_u and lowering M_s values regardless of the non-adiabatic constant value.     

Classical dependence of the domain wall velocity on the magnetic field in garnet ferrite films with orthorhombic magnetic anisotropy

The dependence of the domain wall velocity V on the acting magnetic field H is investigated for bismuth-containing single-crystal garnet ferrite films with orthorhombic magnetic anisotropy. It is shown that this dependence includes both the initial linear portion and a saturation portion and exhibits a complex behavior. This behavior is explained within the model of domain wall motion with spin wave radiation.     

Laser energy dependence on femtosecond laser-induced nucleation of protein

We have investigated femtosecond laser-induced nucleation of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) as a function of the laser pulse energy and pulse time width. This is the first recorded study to confirm that the femtosecond laser-induced nucleation of HEWL can be induced at a specific threshold laser energy. The threshold energy is comparable to that of cavitation bubble generation. The results strongly suggest that morphological changes in the solution are key factors for protein nucleation.     

Micromagnetic investigation of the sub-nanosecond magnetic pulse driven domain wall motion in CoFeB nanowire

We report our micromagnetic simulations based on Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation for CoFeB nanowire which was exposed by sub-nanosecond magnetic pulse with varied pulse width between 100 and 1000 ps. It is found that the Walker Breakdown field (H_WB) shifted as the field pulse duration decreased and reached at the highest value in case of 100 ps pulse width, then decreased steeply with respect to the pulse width up to 400 ps. H_WB values are not significantly dependent for pulses longer than 500 ps. It is observed that, below the H_WB, the exchange energy is larger than the demagnetization energy in the wider nanowire. By energy density analysis, it is understood that the increase of H_WB values in the cases of narrower pulse width was to compensate the energy needed to move the DW.     

Steady-state Eddy-current dominated magnetic domain wall motion with severe bowing and necking

The bowed shape and mobility of domain walls spanning metallic laminations and in steady-state eddy-current-limited motion have been calculated using a linear spline function x_w(y), symmetric about the sheet centre plane y = 0, to represent the wall profile without imposing the usual constraint that x_w(y) be single valued. Profiles have been calculated for all integral values of the reduced wall speed u up to 51. (Here, u = 8 VM²D²/π³γ?, V) is the velocity dx/dd of the wall along sheet of thickness D and resistivity ?, γ is the specific surface wall energy and 2M the change in magnetization effected by its passage). For u?21, profiles are multivalued with a pinched neck preceding a slightly bulbous tail. Thus, over a range of depths in the lamination, flux is reversed three times by the passage of such a “pinched” wall. The wall profiles vary very smoothly with increasing u with no trace of the oscillations obtained when they were constrained to be single valued. The results suggest that at a finite speed $\text{u}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{>}\text{?}\text{50}$, the pinched neck ma of drop-like domains may break away from the tail.     

Electric current effect on the energy barrier of magnetic domain wall depinning: origin of the quadratic contribution

The energy barrier of a magnetic domain wall trapped at a defect is measured experimentally. When the domain wall is pushed by an electric current and/or a magnetic field, the depinning time from the barrier exhibits perfect exponential distribution, indicating that a single energy barrier governs the depinning. The electric current is found to generate linear and quadratic contributions to the energy barrier, which are attributed to the nonadiabatic and adiabatic spin-transfer torques, respectively. The adiabatic spin-transfer torque reduces the energy barrier and, consequently, causes depinning at lower current densities, promising a way toward low-power current-controlled magnetic applications.     

Concept of the field-driven domain wall motion memory

In this paper, the concept of field-driven domain wall motion memory is presented. It is confirmed that a domain is shifted with a carefully designed non-uniform field by micromagnetic simulations. The shift of a domain—a bit—can be established by the motion of two domain walls to the same direction and the same distance. In order to get a better understanding of the domain wall motion under the non-uniform transverse magnetic field, we investigate the motion of the transverse Néel-type domain wall by micromagnetic simulations and the collective coordinate approach. The validity of the equation of motion for the domain wall is confirmed by the micromagnetic simulations as functions of the gradient of the non-uniform field, the saturation magnetization, and the Gilbert damping parameter α.     

Current-induced domain wall motion with adiabatic and nonadiabatic spin torques in magnetic nanowires

We investigate current-driven domain wall (DW) propagation in magnetic nanowires in the framework of the modified Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation with both adiabatic and nonadiabatic spin torque (AST and NAST) terms. By employing a simple analytical model, we can demonstrate the essential physics that any small current density can drive the DW motion along a uniaxial anisotropy nanowire even in absence of NAST, while a critical current density threshold is required due to intrinsic anisotropy pinning in a biaxial nanowire without NAST. The DW motion along the uniaxial wire corresponds to the asymptotical DW oscillation solution under high field/current in the biaxial wire case. The current-driven DW velocity weakly depends on the NAST parameter β in a uniaxial wire and it is similar to the β = α case (α: damping) in the biaxial wire. Apart from that, we discuss the rigid DW motion from both the energy and angular momentum viewpoints and point out some physical relations in between. We also propose an experimental scheme to measure the spin current polarization by combining both field- and current-driven DW motion in a usual flat (biaxial) nanowire.     

Dynamic propagation and nucleation in domain wall nanowire devices

The dynamic injection and propagation of domain walls (DWs) in technologically relevant geometries have been investigated. On short (~10 ns) timescales nucleation of a DW by a localized Oersted field is found to be well described using a Néel-Brown reversal mode. Using locally injected DWs, we test the propagation of DWs over long distances (~100 μm) in close proximity nanowires and beyond the Walker breakdown limit. In nanowires that act as true conduits to a DW, data can be successfully propagated without loss or inter-wire cross-talk. This is in contrast to poorly characterized systems where the DW is found to propagate asynchronously above the critical breakdown field.     

The effect of domain wall motion on the nondiagonal impedance component in amorphous wires with circular magnetic anisotropy

The effect of the domain wall motion on the nondiagonal impedance component in amorphous ferromagnetic wires with circular anisotropy was theoretically studied. The frequency spectrum of the electromotive force (emf) induced in the pick-up coil wound around the wire is analyzed. For sufficiently small amplitudes of the ac current passing in the wire, the emf frequency equals doubled frequency of the current. For the ac current amplitudes exceeding certain threshold value, all even harmonics appear in the frequency spectrum of the signal. The emf strongly depends on the longitudinal component of the applied magnetic field at any value of the ac current amplitude. These results can be important for developing frequency transducers controlled by magnetic field.     

Hysteresis mediated by a domain wall motion

The position of an interface (domain wall) in a medium with random pinning defects is not determined unambiguously by the instantaneous value of the driving force, even on average. Employing the general theory of the interface motion in a random medium, we study this hysteresis, different possible shapes of the hysteresis loop, and the dynamical phase transitions between them. Several principal characteristics of the hysteresis, including the coercive force and the curves of dynamical phase transitions obey scaling laws and display a critical behavior in the vicinity of the mobility threshold. At finite temperature the threshold is smeared and a new range of thermally activated hysteresis appears. At a finite frequency of the driving force there exists a range of the non-adiabatic regime in which not only the position, but also the average velocity of the domain wall, displays hysteresis.     

Stationary structure of the domain wall of the soft magnetic bubble domain

A simple method for calculating the barrel-like curvature of a bubble domain is developed. The results obtained are compared with the results of the Thiele theory.