Direct observation of domain-wall pinning at nanoscale constrictions

In a combined experimental and numerical study, we determine the details of the pinning of domain walls at constrictions in permalloy nanostructures. Using high spatial-resolution

Transverse domain walls in nanoconstrictions

The spin structure of domain walls in constrictions down to 30 nm is investigated both experimentally with electron holography and with simulations using a Heisenberg model. Symmetric and asymmetric transverse domain walls for different constriction sizes are observed, consistent with simulations. The experimentally observed asymmetric transverse walls can be further divided into tilted and buckled walls, the latter being an intermediate state just before the vortex nucleation. As the constriction width decreases, the domain wall width decreases faster than linearly, which leads to very narrow domain walls for narrow constrictions

Quantitative determination of domain wall coupling energetics

The magnetic dipolar coupling of head-to-head domain walls is studied in 350 nm wide NiFe and Co nanostructures by high resolution magnetic imaging. We map the stray field of a domain wall directly with sub-10-nm resolution using off-axis electron holography and find that the field intensity decreases as 1/r with distance. By using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy, we observe that the spin structures of interacting domain walls change from vortex to transverse walls, when the distance between the walls is reduced to below (77±5) nm for 27 nm thick NiFe and (224±65) nm for 30 nm thick Co elements. Using measured stray field values, the energy barrier height distribution for the nucleation of a vortex core is obtained

Domain Wall Spin Structures in 3d Metal Ferromagnetic Nanostructures

In this article, a comprehensive study of head-to-head domain wall spin structures in Ni80Fe20 and Co nanostructures is presented. Quantitative domain wall type phase diagrams for NiFe and Co are obtained and compared with available theoretical predictions and micromagnetic simulations. Differences to the experiment are explained taking into account thermal excitations. Thermally induced domain wall type transformations are observed from which a vortex core nucleation barrier height is obtained. The stray field of a domain wall is mapped directly with sub-10nm resolution using off-axis electron holography, and the field intensity is found to decrease as 1/r with distance. The magnetic dipolar coupling of domain walls in NiFe and Co elements is studied using X-ray magnetic circular dicroism photoemission electron microscopy. We observe that the spin structures of interacting domain walls change from vortex to transverse walls, when the distance between the walls is reduced. Using the measured stray field values, the energy barrier height distribution for the nucleation of a vortex core is obtained

Ultrafast single-shot diffraction imaging of nanoscale dynamics

The transient nanoscale dynamics of materials on femtosecond to picosecond timescales is of great interest in the study of condensed phase dynamics such as crack formation, phase separation and nucleation, and rapid fluctuations in the liquid state or in biologically relevant environments. The ability to take images in a single shot is the key to studying non-repetitive behaviour mechanisms, a capability that is of great importance in many of these problems. Using coherent diffraction imaging with femtosecond X-ray free-electron-laser pulses we capture time-series snapshots of a solid as it evolves on the ultrafast timescale. Artificial structures imprinted on a Si 3 N 4 window are excited with an optical laser and undergo laser ablation, which is imaged with a spatial resolution of 50nm and a temporal resolution of 10ps. By using the shortest available free-electron-laser wavelengths and proven synchronization methods this technique could be extended to spatial resolutions of a few nanometres and temporal resolutions of a few tens of femtoseconds. This experiment opens the door to a new regime of time-resolved experiments in mesoscopic dynamics. © 2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved