Magnetic drops in a soft-magnetic cylinder

Magnetization reversal in a cylindrical ferromagnetic particle seems to be a simple textbook problem in magnetism. But at a closer look, the magnetization reversal dynamics in a cylinder is far from being trivial. The difficulty arises from the central axis, where the magnetization switches in a discontinuous fashion. Micromagnetic computer simulations allow for a detailed description of the evolution of the magnetic structure on the sub-nanosecond time scale. The switching process involves the injection of a magnetic point singularity (Bloch point) into the cylinder. Further point singularities may be generated and annihilated periodically during the reversal process. This results in the temporary formation of micromagnetic drops, i.e., isolated, non-reversed regions. This surprising feature in dynamic micromagnetism is due to different mobilities of domain wall and Bloch point. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.