Nanocavity-Mediated Fast Magnetic Vortex Core In-Situ Switching by Local Magnetic Field

Fast in situ switching of magnetic vortex core in a ferromagnetic nanodisk assisted by a nanocavity, with diameter comparable to the dimension of a vortex core, is systematically investigated by changing the strength as well as the diameter of the effective circular region of the applied magnetic field. By applying a local magnetic field within a small area at the nanodisk center, fast switching time of about 35 ps is achieved with relatively low field strength (70 mT) which is beneficial for fast data reading and writing. The reason for this phenomenon is that the magnetic spins around the nanocavity is aligned along the cavity wall due to the shape anisotropy when the perpendicular field is applied, which deepens the dip around the vortex core, and thus facilitates the vortex core switching.