title: Direct Observation of a Localized Magnetic Soliton in a Spin-Transfer Nanocontact.
abstract: We report the direct observation of a localized magnetic soliton in a spin-transfer nanocontact using scanning transmission x-ray microscopy. Experiments are conducted on a lithographically defined 150 nm diameter nanocontact to an ultrathin ferromagnetic multilayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Element-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism images show an abrupt onset of a magnetic soliton excitation localized beneath the nanocontact at a threshold current. However, the amplitude of the excitation ≃25° at the contact center is far less than that predicted (⪅180°), showing that the spin dynamics is not described by existing models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, New York 10003, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Backes
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, New York 10003, USA.|Grup de Magnetisme, Departament de Física Fonamental, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Macià
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sandhill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonetti
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sandhill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kukreja
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, New York 10003, USA.|Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, 2575 Sandhill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohldag
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, New York 10003, USA.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kent