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

TL;DR

This study investigates how current pulses influence domain wall movement and pinning in cylindrical Ni nanowires with notches, revealing complex behaviors including nucleation, propagation, and pinning effects driven by current density and thermal factors.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed experimental and micromagnetic analysis of current-induced domain wall dynamics in cylindrical nanowires with geometrical notches, highlighting the role of the Oersted field.

Findings

High current densities induce domain wall nucleation.

Domain walls can move against the current direction.

Pinning occurs at notches and outside them.

Abstract

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.