Propagation of a magnetic domain wall in magnetic wires with asymmetric notches

TL;DR

This study investigates how asymmetric notches in magnetic wires influence the propagation and depinning of magnetic domain walls, using giant magnetoresistance to control and measure DW movement.

Contribution

It introduces a method to control DW propagation direction with pulsed magnetic fields and reveals directional dependence of depinning fields due to asymmetric notches.

Findings

Depinning field varies with propagation direction

Asymmetric notches influence DW behavior

Giant magnetoresistance effectively measures DW movement

Abstract

The propagation of a magnetic domain wall (DW) in a submicron magnetic wire consisting of a magnetic/nonmagnetic/magnetic trilayered structure with asymmetric notches was investigated by utilizing the giant magnetoresistance effect. The propagation direction of a DW was controlled by a pulsed local magnetic field, which nucleates the DW at one of the two ends of the wire. It was found that the depinning field of the DW from the notch depends on the propagation direction of the DW.