We report several procedures for the robust nucleation of magnetic domain walls in cylindrical permalloy nanowires. Specific features of the magnetic force microscopy contrast of such soft wires are discussed, with a view to avoid the misinterpretation of the magnetization states. The domain walls could be moved under quasistatic magnetic fields in the range 0.1--10 mT.
Recent studies have predicted extraordinary properties for transverse domain walls in cylindrical nanowires: zero depinning current, the absence of the Walker breakdown, and applications as domain wall oscillators. In order to reliably control the domain wall motion, it is important to understand how they interact with energy barriers. In this paper, we study the motion and depinning of transverse domain walls through potential barriers in ferromagnetic cylindrical nanowires. We use magnetic fields and spin-polarized currents to drive the domain walls along the wire. Using magnetic fields, we find that the minimum and the maximum fields required to push the domain wall through the barrier differ by 30 %. On the contrary, using spin-polarized currents, we find variations of a factor 130 between the minimum value of the depinning current density and the maximum value. We study the depinning current density as a function of the height of the energy barrier using numerical and analytical methods. We find that, for a barrier of 40 k_B T, a depinning current density of about 5 uA is sufficient to depin the domain wall. We reveal and explain the mechanism that leads to these unusually low depinning currents. One requirement for this new depinning mechanism is for the domain wall to be able to rotate around its own axis. With the right barrier design, the spin torque transfer term is acting exactly against the damping in the micromagnetic system, and thus the low current density is sufficient to accumulate enough energy quickly. These key insights may be crucial in furthering the development of novel memory technologies, such as the racetrack memory, that can be controlled through low current densities.
The control of domain walls or spin textures is crucial for spintronic applications of antiferromagnets. Despite many efforts, it has been challenging to directly visualize antiferromagnetic domains or domain walls with nanoscale resolution, especially in magnetic field. Here, we report magnetic imaging of domain walls in several uniaxial antiferromagnets, the topological insulator MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ family and the Dirac semimetal EuMnBi$_2$, using cryogenic magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Our MFM results reveal higher magnetic susceptibility or net moments inside the domain walls than in domains. Domain walls in these antiferromagnets form randomly with strong thermal and magnetic field dependences. The direct visualization of domain walls and domain structure in magnetic field will not only facilitate the exploration of intrinsic phenomena in topological antiferromagnets, but also open a new path toward control and manipulation of domain walls or spin textures in functional antiferromagnets.
Cylindrical nanowires made of soft magnetic materials, in contrast to thin strips, may host domain walls of two distinct topologies. Unexpectedly, we evidence experimentally the dynamic transformation of topology upon wall motion above a field threshold. Micromagnetic simulations highlight the underlying precessional dynamics for one way of the transformation, involving the nucleation of a Bloch-point singularity, however, fail to reproduce the reverse process. This rare discrepancy between micromagnetic simulations and experiments raises fascinating questions in material and computer science.
Interactions between pairs of magnetic domain walls (DW) and pinning by radial constrictions were studied in cylindrical nanowires with surface roughness. It was found that a radial constriction creates a symmetric pinning potential well, with a change of slope when the DW is situated outside the notch. Surface deformation induces an asymmetry in the pinning potential as well as dynamical pinning. The depinning fields of the domain walls were found generally to decrease with increasing surface roughness. A DW pinned at a radial constriction creates a pinning potential well for a free DW in a parallel wire. We determined that trapped bound DW states appear above the depinning threshold and that the surface roughness facilitates the trapped bound DW states in parallel wires.
The propagation of a head-to-head magnetic domain-wall (DW) or a tail-to-tail DW in a magnetic nanowire under a static field along the wire axis is studied. Relationship between the DW velocity and DW structure is obtained from the energy consideration. The role of the energy dissipation in the field-driven DW motion is clarified. Namely, a field can only drive a domain-wall propagating along the field direction through the mediation of a damping. Without the damping, DW cannot propagate along the wire. Contrary to the common wisdom, DW velocity is, in general, proportional to the energy dissipation rate, and one needs to find a way to enhance the energy dissipation in order to increase the propagation speed. The theory provides also a nature explanation of the wire-width dependence of the DW velocity and velocity oscillation beyond Walker breakdown field.