Direct imaging of domain-wall interactions in Ni80Fe20 planar nanowires

We have investigated magnetostatic interactions between domain walls in Ni80Fe20 planar nanowires using magnetic soft x-ray microscopy and micromagnetic simulations. In addition to significant monopole-like attraction and repulsion effects we observe that there is coupling of the magnetization configurations of the walls. This is explained in terms of an interaction energy that depends not only on the distance between the walls, but also upon their internal magnetization structure.