Mechanically induced 180°switching in nanomagnets

The working principle of a mechanical scheme to achieve deterministic 180° magnetization switching in a single-crystal cobalt nanomagnet is demonstrated in this study by phase field simulations. The phase field model takes the polar and azimuthal angles as order parameters and allows exactly constant magnetization magnitude and explicit magnetomechanical coupling. The dependence of switching time on mechanical loading magnitude and magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the effects of both magnetic field and mechanical loading on the mechanically-induced switching dynamics are also investigated.