Reversal of the internal magnetization of one-dimensional and two-dimensional domain walls

Investigations of the internal structures of domain walls have attracted great attention in magnetism for potential applications such as sensors, racetrack memories and spin-wave-based logic operations. In this work, we investigated the role of vortices and antivortices in the transformations of the internal magnetization configuration of one-dimensional and two-dimensional domain walls in Permalloy thin films. The magnetization reversal of the one-dimensional domain walls proceeds with in-plane rotations of their magnetizations. In contrast, the magnetization reversal of the two-dimensional domain walls proceeds with in-plane rotations of their magnetizations at the surfaces and out-of-plane rotations of their magnetizations in the interiors of the walls. Both types of domain walls reverse their internal magnetizations by displacing a resulting single vortex along their wall axes. This displacement proceeds via the nucleation and annihilation of vortices and antivortices inside the walls. • Magnetization reversals of 1D and 2D domain walls are compared. • The magnetization reversal of 1D domain walls proceeds with in-plane rotations of their magnetizations. • The magnetization reversal of 2D domain walls proceeds with both in-plane and out-of-plane rotations of their magnetization. • Change of domain wall types and shapes with the nucleation of vortices and antivortices is explained.