Scenarios of magnetization reversal of thin nanowires

The mechanism of magnetization reversal of a nanowire through the displacement of domain walls and the mechanism of magnetization reversal through the growth of nuclei of the reverse phase have been investigated. It has been found that the displacement of domain walls pinned by magnetic inhomogeneities is similar to the displacement of domain walls in the bulk material, whereas the magnetization reversal by means of the nucleation is fundamentally different. The threshold of the catastrophic growth of a nucleus has been revealed and analyzed. The walls bounding the nucleus have an anomalously low mobility. An explanation of the low mobility of the nucleus boundaries has been proposed.