Tailoring anisotropic magnetoresistance and giant magnetoresistance hysteresis loops with spin-polarized current injection

Current pulses were injected into magnetic nanowires. Their effect on the m agnetoresistance hysteresis loops was studied for three morphologies: homog eneous Ni wires, copper wires containing five cobalt/copper bilayers, and h ybrid structures composed of a homogeneous Ni half wire and a multilayered Co/Cu half wire. The characteristic features of the action of the current o n the magnetization are shown and discussed. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.