Screw-pitch effect and velocity oscillation of domain-wall in ferromagnetic nanowire driven by spin-polarized current

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the complex dynamics of domain walls in ferromagnetic nanowires driven by spin-polarized currents, revealing a novel screw-pitch effect with velocity oscillations above a critical current, through theoretical and numerical methods.

Contribution

It introduces the screw-pitch effect in domain-wall motion and elucidates the contrasting roles of spin-transfer torque below and above a critical current.

Findings

Below critical current, domain wall remains static due to anti-precession and anti-damping effects.

Above critical current, domain wall exhibits velocity and width oscillations (screw-pitch effect).

Theoretical and numerical results confirm the origin of the effect from Gilbert damping and spin-transfer torque.

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of domain wall in ferromagnetic nanowire with spin-transfer torque. The critical current condition is obtained analytically. Below the critical current, we get the static domain wall solution which shows that the spin-polarized current can't drive domain wall moving continuously. In this case, the spin-transfer torque plays both the anti-precession and anti-damping roles, which counteracts not only the spin-precession driven by the effective field but also Gilbert damping to the moment. Above the critical value, the dynamics of domain wall exhibits the novel screw-pitch effect characterized by the temporal oscillation of domain wall velocity and width, respectively. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation demonstrate that this novel phenomenon arise from the conjunctive action of Gilbert-damping and spin-transfer torque. We also find that the roles of spin-transfer torque are entirely contrary for the cases of below and above the critical current.