Switching magnetic vortex core by a single nanosecond current pulse

In a ferromagnetic nanodisk, the magnetization tends to swirl around in the plane of the disk and can point either up or down at the center of this magnetic vortex. This binary state can be useful for information storage. It is demonstrated that a single nanosecond current pulse can switch the core polarity. This method also provides the precise control of the core direction, which constitutes fundamental technology for realizing a vortex core memory. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3001588]