Macroscopic quantum coherence of chirality of a domain wall in ferromagnets

Quantum Barkhausen noise induced by domain wall cotunneling

Most macroscopic magnetic phenomena (including magnetic hysteresis) are typically understood classically. Here, we examine the dynamics of a uniaxial rare-earth ferromagnet deep within the quantum regime, so that domain wall motion, and the associated hysteresis, is initiated by quantum nucleation, which then grows into large-scale domain wall motion, which is observable as an unusual form of Barkhausen noise. We observe noncritical behavior in the resulting avalanche dynamics that only can be explained by going beyond traditional renormalization group methods or classical domain wall models. We find that this "quantum Barkhausen noise" exhibits two distinct mechanisms for domain wall movement, each of which is quantum-mechanical, but with very different dependences on an external magnetic field applied transverse to the spin (Ising) axis. These observations can be understood in terms of the correlated motion of pairs of domain walls, nucleated by cotunneling of plaquettes (sections of domain wall), with plaquette pairs correlated by dipolar interactions; this correlation is suppressed by the transverse field. Similar macroscopic correlations may be expected to appear in the hysteresis of other systems with long-range interactions.

Electron Induced Massive Dynamics of Magnetic Domain Walls

We study the dynamics of domain walls (DWs) in a metallic, ferromagnetic nanowire, focusing on inertial effects on the DW due to interaction with a conduction electron bath. We develop a Keldysh collective coordinate technique to describe the effect of conduction electrons on rigid magnetic structures. The effective Lagrangian and Langevin equations of motion for a DW are derived microscopically, including the full response kernel which is nonlocal in time. The DW dynamics is described by two collective degrees of freedom: position and tilt-angle. The coupled Langevin equations therefore involve two correlated noise sources, leading to a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT). The DW response kernel due to electrons contains two parts: one related to dissipation via FDT, and another reactive part. We prove that the latter term leads to a mass for both degrees of freedom, even though the intrinsic bare mass is zero. The electron-induced mass is present even in a clean system without pinning or specifically engineered potentials. The resulting equations of motion contain rich dynamical solutions and point toward a way to control domain wall motion in metals via the electronic system properties. We discuss two observable consequences of the mass, hysteresis in the DW dynamics and resonant response to ac current.

Domain wall motion driven by adiabatic spin transfer torque through excitation of nonlinear dynamics

Domain wall dynamics under the joint action of a linearly polarized microwave magnetic field and spin transfer torque was analysed in terms of the domain wall collective coordinates. It was found that a microwave-assisted steady domain wall motion driven by adiabatic spin transfer torque can be adequately described by three domain wall collective coordinates. Analytical expression for the domain wall velocity showed that there are two contributions to the steady domain wall motion. One is derived from the nonlinear oscillation of domain wall width excited by the microwave field, and the other is from the heterodyne process between the width oscillation and the microwave field. The former always propels a domain wall to move in the positive direction, which is defined as the direction of the applied current. The latter contribution to the domain wall velocity can be positive or negative, depending on the polarization of the microwave field. The final domain wall velocity is determined by the competition between those two contributions, which indicates that by simply changing the polarization of the microwave field, the direction of the domain wall motion can be reversed. Our analysis demonstrated that the characteristics of domain wall motion can be tuned by selective excitation of nonlinear domain wall dynamics.

Proposal for a Domain Wall Nano-Oscillator driven by Non-uniform Spin Currents

We propose a new mechanism and a related device concept for a robust, magnetic field tunable radio-frequency (rf) oscillator using the self oscillation of a magnetic domain wall subject to a uniform static magnetic field and a spatially non-uniform vertical dc spin current. The self oscillation of the domain wall is created as it translates periodically between two unstable positions, one being in the region where both the dc spin current and the magnetic field are present, and the other, being where only the magnetic field is present. The vertical dc spin current pushes it away from one unstable position while the magnetic field pushes it away from the other. We show that such oscillations are stable under noise and can exhibit a quality factor of over 1000. A domain wall under dynamic translation, not only being a source for rich physics, is also a promising candidate for advancements in nanoelectronics with the actively researched racetrack memory architecture, digital and analog switching paradigms as candidate examples. Devising a stable rf oscillator using a domain wall is hence another step towards the realization of an all domain wall logic scheme.

A general formalism for the determination of the effective mass of the nanoscale structural inhomogeneities of the domain wall in uniaxial ferromagnets

On the basis of the method of gyrotropic Thiele forces, we build a formalism that allows the determination of the effective mass of the nanoscales structural elements of the domain wall (DW): vertical Bloch line and Bloch point in uniaxial ferromagnets. As shown, the effective mass of these magnetic inhomogeneities depends on the value of the gyrotropic domain wall bend that is created by their movement.

Colossal spin transfer torque effect on skyrmion along the edge

We study by the micromagnetic simulations the skyrmion motion along the edge driven by the current transverse to it. We found that (i) the velocity is enhanced by the factor of ∼ 1/α (α: the Gilbert damping) with the maximum value determined only by the confining force from the edge, (ii) the inertia appear due to the confining potential with the coordinate perpendicular to the edge playing the role of the kinetic momentum, and (iii) the collision between the two skyrmions is almost elastic without causing any internal distortions.

The Bloch point in uniaxial ferromagnets as a quantum mechanical object

Quantum effects such as tunneling through pinning barrier of the Bloch Point and over-barrier reflection from the defect potential of one have been investigated in ferromagnets with uniaxial strong magnetic anisotropy. It is found that these phenomena can be appeared only in subhelium temperature range.

Magnetic domain patterns on strong perpendicular magnetization of Co/Ni multilayers as spintronics materials: I. Dynamic observations

Materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy can reduce the threshold current density of the current-induced domain wall motion. Co/Ni multilayers show strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and therefore it has become a highly potential candidate of current-induced domain wall motion memories. However, the details of the mechanism which stabilizes the strong perpendicular magnetization in Co/Ni multilayers have not yet been understood. In the present work, the evolution of the magnetic domain structure of multilayers consisting of pairs of 2 or 3 monolayers (ML) of Ni and 1 ML of Co on W(110) was investigated during growth with spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy. An interesting phenomenon, that the magnetic domain structure changed drastically during growth, was revealed. In the early stages of the growth the magnetization alternated between in-plane upon Co deposition and out-of-plane upon Ni deposition. The change of the magnetization direction occurred within a range of less than 0.2 ML during Ni or Co deposition, with break-up of the existing domains followed by growth of new domains. The Ni and Co thickness at which the magnetization direction switched shifted gradually with the number of Co/Ni pairs. Above 3-4 Co/Ni pairs it stayed out-of-plane. The results indicate clearly that the Co-Ni interfaces play the important role of enhancing the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.

Effect of spin current on uniform ferromagnetism: domain nucleation

A large spin current applied to a uniform ferromagnet leads to a spin-wave instability as pointed out recently. In this Letter, it is shown that such spin-wave instability is absent in a state containing a domain wall, which indicates that nucleation of magnetic domains occurs above a certain critical spin current. This scenario is supported also by an explicit energy comparison of the two states under spin current.

Theory of current-driven domain wall motion: spin transfer versus momentum transfer

A self-contained theory of the domain wall dynamics in ferromagnets under finite electric current is presented. The current has two effects: one is momentum transfer, which is proportional to the charge current and wall resistivity (rho(w)); the other is spin transfer, proportional to spin current. For thick walls, as in metallic wires, the latter dominates and the threshold current for wall motion is determined by the hard-axis magnetic anisotropy, except for the case of very strong pinning. For thin walls, as in nanocontacts and magnetic semiconductors, the momentum-transfer effect dominates, and the threshold current is proportional to V(0)/rho(w), V0 being the pinning potential.