Control of domain wall polarity by current pulses

Direct observation of current-induced propagation of purely transverse magnetic domain walls with spin-polarized scanning electron microscopy is reported in Fe(30)Ni(70) nanowires. After propagation, the domain walls keep their transverse nature but switch polarity in some cases. For uniform Ni(70)Fe(30) wires, the effect is random and illustrates domain-wall propagation above the Walker threshold. In the case of Ni(70)Fe(30)/Fe wires, the transverse magnetization component in the wall is entirely determined by the polarity of the current pulse, an effect that is not reconciled by present theories even when taking into account the nonuniform Oersted field generated by the current.