Effect of the shape and lateral dimensions on the magnetization reversal in permalloy nanofilms

Kinetics of magnetization reversal in patterned permalloy films with nanometer thickness is studied by means of magneto-optic visualization technique, Bitter technique and micromagnetic simulations. The reversal modes and critical dimensions at which a change of the magnetization scenario in the structures takes place are determined. The experimentally observed critical dimensions are shown to differ from the calculated ones by two orders of magnitude. The crucial influence of the ferro-fluid on magnetic patterns and magnetization reversal parameters is found.