Magnetization reversal by a single pulse of magnetic field or spin-polarized current

One of the important requirements for spintronic devices concerns an efficient magnetization reversal, which may eventually lead to ultra-fast non-volatile magnetic memory applications. In particular, it is necessary to achieve stable sub-nanosecond switching times and to reduce magnetization "ringing'', so that the reversal will proceed along the shortest ballistic path connecting the initial and the target magnetization states. This paper is dedicated to the numerical simulations of a mono-domain ferromagnetic particle, described by the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. We study the general case of arbitrary orientation of the applied field/current pulses, constructing dynamic diagrams for the reversal time. We have found that even short 50 ps pulses, applied at a proper angle, will induce magnetization reversal with minimal ringing effects. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.