Micromagnetic modelling of magnetic domain walls and domains in cylindrical nanowires

Magnetic cylindrical nanowires are very fascinating objects where the curved geometry allows many novel magnetic effects and a variety of non-trivial magnetic structures. Micromagnetic modelling plays an important role in revealing the magnetization distribution in magnetic nanowires, often not accessible by imaging methods with sufficient details. Here we review the magnetic properties of the shape anisotropy-dominated nanowires and the nanowires with competing shape and magnetocrystalline anisotropies, as revealed by micromagnetic modelling. We discuss the variety of magnetic walls and magnetic domains reported by micromagnetic simulations in cylindrical nanowires. The most known domain walls types are the transverse and vortex (Bloch point) domain walls and the transition between them is materials and nanowire diameter dependent. Importantly, the field or current-driven domain walls in cylindrical nanowires can achieve very high velocities. In recent simulations of nanowires with larger diameter the skyrmion tubes are also reported. In nanowires with large saturation magnetization the core of these tubes may form a helicoidal ('corkscrew') structure. The topology of the skyrmion tubes play an important role in the pinning mechanism, discussed here on the example of FeCo modulated nanowires. Other discussed examples include the influence of antinotches ('bamboo' nanowires) on the remanent magnetization configurations for hcp Co and FeCo nanowires and Co-Ni multisegmented nanowires.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figures, 1 tabl

Domain wall pinning in a circular cross-section wire with modulated diameter

Domain wall propagation in cylindrical nanowires with modulations of diameter is a key phenomenon to design physics-oriented devices, or a disruptive three-dimensional magnetic memory. This chapter presents a combination of analytical modelling and micromagnetic simulations, with the aim to present a comprehensive panorama of the physics of pinning of domain walls at modulations, when moved under the stimulus of a magnetic field or a spin-polarized current. For the sake of considering simple physics, we consider diameters of a few tens of nanometers at most, and accordingly domain walls of transverse type. Modeling with suitable approximations provides simple scaling laws, while simulations are more accurate, refining the results and defining the range of validity of the models. While pinning increases with the relative change of diameter, a key feature is the much larger efficiency of pinning at an increase of diameter upon considering current rather than field, due to the drastic decrease of current density related to the increase of diameter.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, overview chapte

Domain Wall Propagation and Pinning Induced by Current Pulses in Cylindrical Modulated Nanowires

The future developments of three-dimensional magnetic nanotechnology require the control of domain wall dynamics by means of current pulses. While this has been extensively studied in planar magnetic strips (planar nanowires), few reports exist in cylindrical geometry, where Bloch point domain walls are expected to have intriguing properties. Here we report this investigation in cylindrical magnetic Ni nanowires with geometrical notches. Experimental work based on synchrotron X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) combined with photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) indicates that large current densities induce domain wall nucleation while smaller currents move domain walls preferably against the current direction. In the region where no pinning centers are present we found domain wall velocity of about 1 km/s. The domain wall motion along current was also detected in the vicinity of the notch region. Pinning of domain walls has been observed not only at geometrical constrictions but also outside of them. Thermal modelling indicates that large current densities temporarily raise the temperature in the nanowire above the Curie temperature leading to nucleation of domain walls during the system cooling. Micromagnetic modelling with spin-torque effect shows that for intermediate current densities Bloch point domain walls with chirality parallel to the Oersted field propagate antiparallel to the current direction. In other cases, domain walls can be bounced from the notches and/or get pinned outside their positions. We thus find that current is not only responsible for the domain wall propagation but is also a source of pinning due to the Oersted field action

Direct observation of transverse and vortex metastable magnetic domains in cylindrical nanowires

We present experimental evidence of transverse magnetic domains, previously observed only in nanostrips, in CoNi cylindrical nanowires with designed crystal symmetry and tailored magnetic anisotropy. The transverse domains are found together with more conventional vortex domains along the same cylindrical nanowire, denoting a bistable system with similar energies. The surface and the inner magnetization distribution in both types of domains are analyzed by photoemission electron microscopy with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism contrast, and hysteresis loop in individual nanowires are measured by magneto-optical Kerr effect. These experimental data are understood and compared with complementary micromagnetic simulations

The yield of air fluorescence induced by electrons

The fluorescence yield for dry air and pure nitrogen excited by electrons is calculated using a combination of well-established molecular properties and experimental data of the involved cross sections. Particular attention has been paid to the role of secondary electrons from ionization processes. At high pressure and high energy, observed fluorescence turns out to be proportional to the ionization cross section which follows the Born-Bethe law. Predictions on fluorescence yields in a very wide interval of electron energies (eV - GeV) and pressures (1 and 1013 hPa) as expected from laboratory measurements are presented. Experimental results at energies over 1 MeV are in very good agreement with our calculations for pure nitrogen while discrepancies of about 20% are found for dry air, very likely associated to uncertainties in the available data on quenching cross sections. The relationship between fluorescence emission, stopping power and deposited energy is discussed.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, 64 references. Accepted in Astroparticle Physic

Measurement of inclusive D*+- and associated dijet cross sections in photoproduction at HERA

Inclusive photoproduction of D*+- mesons has been measured for photon-proton centre-of-mass energies in the range 130 < W < 280 GeV and a photon virtuality Q^2 < 1 GeV^2. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb^-1. Total and differential cross sections as functions of the D* transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are presented in restricted kinematical regions and the data are compared with next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations using the "massive charm" and "massless charm" schemes. The measured cross sections are generally above the NLO calculations, in particular in the forward (proton) direction. The large data sample also allows the study of dijet production associated with charm. A significant resolved as well as a direct photon component contribute to the cross section. Leading order QCD Monte Carlo calculations indicate that the resolved contribution arises from a significant charm component in the photon. A massive charm NLO parton level calculation yields lower cross sections compared to the measured results in a kinematic region where the resolved photon contribution is significant.Comment: 32 pages including 6 figure