High-mobility inertial domain walls driven by spin-transfer torque in a ferrimagnetic spinel oxide

Mingxing Wu; Shilei Ding; Laura van Schie; Shenghao Cai; Yuhao Qiu; Ao Du; Alexander E. Kossak; Rui Wu; Christian L. Degen; Xuegang Chen; Pietro Gambardella

doi:10.1038/s41467-026-71290-6

arXiv · 2605.27216

High-mobility inertial domain walls driven by spin-transfer torque in a ferrimagnetic spinel oxide

Mingxing Wu·Shilei Ding·Laura van Schie·Shenghao Cai·Yuhao Qiu·Ao Du·Alexander E. Kossak·Rui Wu·Christian L. Degen·Xuegang Chen·Pietro Gambardella

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Abstract

Efficient electrical manipulation of domain walls is key to developing magnetic devices with fast switching capabilities and low energy consumption. Here we demonstrate Bloch-type domain wall velocities exceeding 1 km s$^{-1}$ in the single-layer ferrimagnetic spinel oxide NiCo$_2$O$_4$ induced by spin-transfer torque at a current density of $2 \times 10^{11}$ A m$^{-2}$. This exceptional domain wall mobility is attributed to the combination of giant nonadiabatic spin-transfer torque, low magnetization, and high spin polarization. Additionally, we report a pronounced domain wall inertia effect in this ferrimagnet due to the large nonadiabaticity of the torque. The characteristic time for domain wall acceleration and deceleration is $\sim 1$ ns, shorter than that reported for typical ferromagnets. Our findings highlight the potential of spinel oxides as a promising platform for engineering high-performance domain wall devices that take advantage of ultrafast ferrimagnetic dynamics.

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Mingxing Wu, Shilei Ding, Laura van Schie, Shenghao Cai, Yuhao Qiu, Ao Du, Alexander E. Kossak, Rui Wu, Christian L. Degen, Xuegang Chen, Pietro Gambardella. 2026-05-26. High-mobility inertial domain walls driven by spin-transfer torque in a ferrimagnetic spinel oxide. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71290-6

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