Anisotropic magnetostatic interactions in arrays of ellipsoidal shaped Ni80 Fe20 magnets

Abstract

We have modified the existing "rigid vortex model" to probe magnetostatic interactions in coupled elements of arbitrary shape. We predict that in coupled ellipsoidal magnets, reversal can occur by nucleating either one or two vortex cores, depending on the lattice configuration. When the ellipsoids are arranged along their major axis, the reversal occurs by nucleation of a single vortex core. However, when the ellipsoids are arranged along their minor axis, two vortex cores are nucleated. Our theoretical predictions have been validated experimentally using magnetic force microscopy. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.