Local modification of the magnetic vortex-core velocity by gallium implantation

The dynamics of magnetic vortices in microsquares with local modifications of magnetic parameters and thickness are investigated. By implanting gallium ions with focussed ion beam into permalloy thin-film elements, we have locally tailored their magnetic properties and the layer thickness. The vortex of the Landau domain pattern of a square is resonantly excited to a gyrotropic motion and crosses regions with and without implantation. With time-resolved scanning transmission x-ray microscopy, we observe an abrupt change in the vortex velocity close to the borders between the two regions.