R. J. Elliott
1,
E. M. Epshtein
2, Yu. V. Gulyaev
2,
Peter E. Zilberman2
(

)
1University of Oxford, Department of Physics, Theoretical
Physics, UK
2Institute of Radioengineering &
Electronics of RAS, Fryazino Branch, Russia.
We calculated here a magnetostatic energy and domain structure in a long
enough ferromagnetic layer having final width and parallel anisotropy so that
magnetization vectors in domains lie in plane – the so called “Cotton-type”
domains. As appears the period of such a domain structure is proportional to
the layer width and to domain wall energy but inversely proportional to
magnetization squared. In an external magnetic field the width of the
preferential domains rises but the domain boundaries do not escape – very
narrow unpreferential domains form 360-degree domain walls. On the base of a
phenomenological theory we considered then a model of a three layer magnetic
junction, consisting of two ferromagnetic layers (electrodes) separated by a
non-magnetic ultrathin layer (spacer). One of the electrodes has a
magnetization pinned parallel to interfaces along z-axis and the other one is
free and may contain a “Cotton-type” magnetic domain structure. An electrical
current may be present that transports carries through the spacer from the
pinned layer to the free one. No spin-dependent surface scattering exists and
current effects on the magnetic state of the free layer due to injection of
the spins only.
We found a solution of continuity equations for carriers having up and down
spins that satisfy boundary conditions at interfaces of the free electrode.
Current dependent density and magnetization of the injected spins were
calculated. This allows us to find the current dependent energy of exchange
interaction between carriers and localized spins (s-d interaction). From the
condition that a total magnetic energy of the junction should be minimal we
found a period W of a domain structure and a relative width of a
preferential domain as a function of some "driving parameter" f containing
external magnetic field H and spin polarized current density j. Mutual
cancellation may be possible of field and current actions. Let field H is
large enough to saturate free electrode opposite to z-axis i.e. to the
magnetization of the pinned electrode. Then our calculations show the
possibility of magnetization reversal of the free electrode under the currents
densities of the order ~100000 A per 1cm squared.
This work was supported by ISTC (grant #1522) and by RFBR (grant #
00-02-16384).