Microscopic magnetic squeezer

A microscopic magnetic squeezer based on two magnetic domain walls moving along a one-dimensional potential well generated by a stress line in ferrite garnet films is demonstrated. The squeezer can operate on magnetic objects of size 1-200 mum and exert compressive forces up to 10 pN. The squeezer operation, i.e., the relative motion of the two domain walls, is well controlled by a small external magnetic field modulation. The squeezer has potential applications in microfluidics and also as sensitive pressure gauges for microbiological systems. (C) American Institute of Physics.