Eur. Phys. J. B 33, 133-145 (2003)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2003-00150-3

Cycloidal vortex motion in easy-plane ferromagnets due to interaction with spin waves

¹ Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering, 47 Lenin Ave., 61103, Kharkov, Ukraine
² Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

Corresponding author: ^a franz.mertens@uni-bayreuth.de

Received: 9 December 2002
Published online: 4 June 2003

Abstract

The dynamics of a non-planar vortex in a two-dimensional easy-plane ferromagnet of finite size is studied. Spin dynamics simulations show small cycloidal oscillations of the vortex around its mean path. In contrast to an earlier phenomenological theory we give a physical explanation: The oscillations occur due to the interaction of the vortex with coherent spin waves which are excited by this vortex at the moment when it starts to move, in order to conserve the total energy and angular momentum. The calculation of these quantities yields the frequencies and amplitudes of the cycloidal oscillations in good agreement with the simulation data.