Time-resolved motion of a single domain wall controlled by a local tunable barrier

• Published in: Journal of magnetism and magnetic materials 2020-03, Vol.498, p.166093, Article 166093
• Main Authors: Calle, E., Vázquez, M., P. del Real, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Braking; Domain wall; Domain wall motion; Domain walls; Iron; Magnetic domains; Magnetic fields; Magnetization process; Residual stress; Variations; Wire
• ISSN: 0304-8853; 1873-4766
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmmm.2019.166093

•The motion of a domain wall is time-resolved controlled by a local tunable field.•The domain wall braking is characterized as a function of the local field.•The trapping occurs when the local and friction fields overcome the driving one.•Stochastic trapping appears for critical values of the local and driving fields. We report on the time-resolved dynamics of a single magnetic domain wall (DW) under the influence of a tunable barrier in a Fe-rich microwire. The energy barrier was created by applying a local magnetic field antiparallel to the uniform driving field used to depin and propagate the DW along the wire. This originates the braking and eventually the trapping of the DW depending on the magnitude of the antiparallel local field. The motion of the DW through the local field becomes stochastic for minimum magnetic field values close to the measured friction field (Hfr = 24.4 A/m). This phenomenon is caused by fluctuations in the pinning field associated to the different types of local defects and residual stress existing in the wire. The probability for the DW to overcome the barrier has been estimated for different values of the local field. When the minimum applied field is lower than the fluctuating friction field the DW is always trapped.