Fast domain wall motion in nanostripes with out-of-plane fields

Controlling domain wall motion is important due to the impact on the viability of proposed nanowire devices. One hurdle is slow domain wall speed when driven by fields greater than the Walker field due to nucleation of vortices in the wall. We present simulation results detailing the dynamics of these vortices including the nucleation and subsequent fast ejection of the vortex core leading to fast domain wall speeds. The ejection is due to the reversal of the core moments by an out-of-plane field. The technique can be used to produce domain walls of known orientation, independent of the initial state. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.