Stationary textures induced by spin-transfer torques: role of the angular dependence

Abstract

Magnetic systems forced with external fields or electric currents exhibit a rich spatiotemporal dynamics. A well known example is the one of spin-transfer torque driven textures, which includes switching, precessions, dissipative solitons, and periodic textures. Using different expressions that model the spin-transfer torque —angular dependence of the spin-transfer— we obtain analytic solutions for static spatially periodic states, study their stability, and elucidate the role that the angular dependence plays in the formation of textures. We demonstrate that the type of bifurcations changes from supercritical to subcritical, depending on the particular type of torque. Numerical simulations confirm this scenario. Thus, magnetoresistance measurements could permit to determine the form of the torque.