Abstract
The size dependence of reversal mechanisms and the corresponding switching fields of elliptical Permalloy thin films are studied by micromagnetic simulation. From the simulated spin configurations, it is shown that for ellipses with different dimensions there exist three reversal mechanisms: the buckling-instability mode, the vortex-propagation mode, and the mixed mode of buckling-instability and vortex-propagation modes. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.