Switching dynamics of a magnetostrictive single-domain nanomagnet subjected to stress

TL;DR

This study investigates how stress influences the switching delay of a single-domain magnetostrictive nanomagnet, revealing optimal ramp rates and complex dynamics affecting switching performance.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of stress-induced switching dynamics using the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, highlighting non-monotonic delay behavior and optimal stress ramping strategies.

Findings

Delay exhibits non-monotonic dependence on ramp rate at high stress levels

Optimal ramp rate minimizes switching delay

Delay saturates with increasing stress, indicating diminishing returns

Abstract

The temporal evolution of the magnetization vector of a single-domain magnetostrictive nanomagnet, subjected to in-plane stress, is studied by solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The stress is ramped up linearly in time and the switching delay, which is the time it takes for the magnetization to flip, is computed as a function of the ramp rate. For high levels of stress, the delay exhibits a non-monotonic dependence on the ramp rate, indicating that there is an {\it optimum} ramp rate to achieve the shortest delay. For constant ramp rate, the delay initially decreases with increasing stress but then saturates showing that the trade-off between the delay and the stress (or the energy dissipated in switching) becomes less and less favorable with increasing stress. All of these features are due to a complex interplay between the in-plane and out-of-plane dynamics of the magnetization vector induced by stress.