Subatomic movements of a domain wall in the Peierls potential

TL;DR

This paper investigates the atomic-scale movements of ferromagnetic domain walls, revealing their locking behavior to lattice planes and stepwise propagation, with implications for understanding magnetic domain dynamics.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed atomic-resolution study of domain wall motion in a Peierls potential, highlighting the role of lattice periodicity and kink dynamics.

Findings

Domain walls lock between crystallographic planes.

Propagation occurs via lattice-matching steps.

Domain walls exhibit bi-stability on Peierls ridges.

Abstract

Movements of individual domain walls in a ferromagnetic garnet were studied with angstrom resolution. The measurements reveal that domain walls can be locked between adjacent crystallographic planes and propagate by distinct steps matching the lattice periodicity. Domain walls are found to be weakly mobile within valleys of the atomic washboard but become unexpectedly flexible on Peierls ridges, where they can be kept in a bi-stable state by ac magnetic field. We describe the latter observation in terms of a single magnetic kink propagating along a domain wall.