Electric resistance of magnetic domain wall in NiFe wires with CoSm pinning pads

The contribution of a magnetic domain wall to electric resistivity was meas ured using NiFe wires (width: 1 mu m) partially covered with hard magnetic pads (CoSm). When the wire is covered with N pinning pads, 2N domain walls can be produced in the wire by reversing the magnetization only at the unco vered parts. The resistance for the magnetically saturated state (no domain wall structure) and that for the magnetic structure with 2N domain walls w ere compared at zero applied field. It was found that the resistance is sma ller when magnetic domain walls exist, and that the domain wall resistance is almost temperature independent. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)38608-X].