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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Direct observation of spin-torque driven magnetization reversal through nonuniform modes
J P Strachan1, V Chembrolu, Y Acremann
1Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Abstract:
We present time-resolved x-ray images with 30 nm spatial and 70 ps temporal resolution, which reveal details of the spatially resolved magnetization evolution in nanoscale samples of various dimensions during reversible spin-torque switching processes. Our data in conjunction with micromagnetic simulations suggest a simple unified picture of magnetic switching based on the motion of a magnetic vortex. With decreasing size of the magnetic element the path of the vortex core moves from inside to outside of the nanoelement, and the switching process evolves from a curled nonuniform to an increasingly uniform mode.
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