171 research outputs found
Magnetic domain walls displacement : automotion vs. spin-transfer torque
The magnetization dynamics equation predicts that a domain wall that changes
structure should undergo a displacement by itself - automotion - due to the
relaxation of the linear momentum that is associated with the wall structure.
We experimentally demonstrate this effect in soft nanostrips,transforming under
spin transfer torque a metastable asymmetric transverse wall into a vortex
wall. Displacements more than three times as large as under spin transfer
torque only are measured for 1~ns pulses. The results are explained by
analytical and numerical micromagnetics. Their relevance to domain wall motion
under spin transfer torque is emphasized
Phase Coherent Precessional Magnetization Reversal in Micro-scopic Spin Valve Elements
We study the precessional switching of the magnetization in microscopic spin
valve cells induced by ultra short in-plane hard axis magnetic field pulses.
Stable and highly efficient switching is monitored following pulses as short as
140 ps with energies down to 15 pJ. Multiple application of identical pulses
reversibly toggles the cell's magnetization be-tween the two easy directions.
Variations of pulse duration and amplitude reveal alter-nating regimes of
switching and non-switching corresponding to transitions from in-phase to
out-of-phase excitations of the magnetic precession by the field pulse. In the
low field limit damping becomes predominant and a relaxational reversal is
found allowing switching by hard axis fields below the in-plane anisotropy
field threshold.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure
Current-Driven Magnetic Excitations in Permalloy-Based Multilayer Nanopillars
We study current-driven magnetization switching in nanofabricated
Ni84Fe16/Cu/Ni84Fe16 trilayers at 295 K and 4.2 K. The shape of the hysteretic
switching diagram at low magnetic field changes from 295 K to 4.2 K. The
reversible behavior at higher field involves two phenomena, a threshold current
for magnetic excitations closely correlated with the switching current, and a
peak in differential resistance characterized by telegraph noise, with average
period that decreases exponentially with current and shifts with temperature.
We interpret both static and dynamic results at 295 K and 4.2 K in terms of
thermal activation over a potential barrier, with a current dependent effective
magnetic temperature.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Figure
Brownian motion of magnetic domain walls and skyrmions, and their diffusion constants
Extended numerical simulations enable to ascertain the diffusive behavior at
finite temperatures of chiral walls and skyrmions in ultra-thin model Co layers
exhibiting symmetric - Heisenberg - as well as antisymmetric -
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya - exchange interactions. The Brownian motion of walls and
skyrmions is shown to obey markedly different diffusion laws as a function of
the damping parameter. Topology related skyrmion diffusion suppression with
vanishing damping parameter, albeit already documented, is shown to be
restricted to ultra-small skyrmion sizes or, equivalently, to ultra-low damping
coefficients, possibly hampering observation
Domain wall structure in magnetic bilayers with perpendicular anisotropy
We study the magnetic domain wall structure in magnetic bilayers (two
ultrathin ferromagnetic layers separated by a non magnetic spacer) with
perpendicular magnetization. Combining magnetic force and ballistic electron
emission microscopies, we are able to reveal the details of the magnetic
structure of the wall with a high spatial accuracy. In these layers, we show
that the classical Bloch wall observed in single layers transforms into
superposed N\'eel walls due to the magnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic
layers. Quantitative agreement with micromagnetic calculations is achieved.Comment: Author adresses AB, SR, JM and AT: Laboratoire de Physique des
Solides, CNRS, Universit\'e Paris Sud, UMR 8502, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France ML
: Laboratoire PMTM, Institut Galil\'ee, CNRS, Universit\'e Paris-13, UPR
9001, 93430 Villetaneuse, Franc
Fast magnetization switching of Stoner particles: A nonlinear dynamics picture
The magnetization reversal of Stoner particles is investigated from the point
of view of nonlinear dynamics within the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert formulation.
The following results are obtained. 1) We clarify that the so-called
Stoner-Wohlfarth (SW) limit becomes exact when damping constant is infinitely
large. Under the limit, the magnetization moves along the steepest energy
descent path. The minimal switching field is the one at which there is only one
stable fixed point in the system. 2) For a given magnetic anisotropy, there is
a critical value for the damping constant, above which the minimal switching
field is the same as that of the SW-limit. 3) We illustrate how fixed points
and their basins change under a field along different directions. This change
explains well why a non-parallel field gives a smaller minimal switching field
and a short switching time. 4) The field of a ballistic magnetization reversal
should be along certain direction window in the presence of energy dissipation.
The width of the window depends on both of the damping constant and the
magnetic anisotropy. The upper and lower bounds of the direction window
increase with the damping constant. The window width oscillates with the
damping constant for a given magnetic anisotropy. It is zero for both zero and
infinite damping. Thus, the perpendicular field configuration widely employed
in the current experiments is not the best one since the damping constant in a
real system is far from zero.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. submitted to PR
- …