Local thermoelectric response from a single Néel domain wall

Area of Science:

• Spintronics and spin caloritronics
• Nanoscale materials science
• Thermoelectric phenomena

Background:

• Spatially resolved thermoelectric detection is crucial for studying spintronic and spin caloritronic effects.
• Previous methods were limited by resolution, restricting analysis to uniform or collinear magnetic regions.
• Investigating nanoscale thermoelectric responses requires advanced imaging techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-resolution method for detecting thermoelectric responses from single magnetic domain walls.
• To distinguish between different types of domain wall structures (Bloch vs. Néel) at the nanoscale.
• To enable the characterization of complex noncollinear spin textures.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a heated scanning probe to measure local thermoelectric signals.
• Analyzing the thermoelectric response from a single trapped magnetic domain wall.
• Combining experimental data with analytical and thermal micromagnetic modeling.

Main Results:

• Unambiguously resolved a single domain wall through its distinct local thermoelectric response.
• Identified the thermoelectric signature as characteristic of a Néel-like domain wall.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to the domain wall's rotational plane for nanoscale identification.

Conclusions:

• The heated scanning probe technique allows for nanoscale resolution of thermoelectric signals from domain walls.
• This method can differentiate between Bloch and Néel domain walls based on their thermoelectric signatures.
• The approach offers a pathway for identifying and characterizing various noncollinear spin textures.