Geometric flow of planar domain-wall loops

Abstract We investigate the geometric evolution of elastic domain-wall (DW) loops in two dimensions. Assuming an instantaneous, isotropic, and homogeneous arc-velocity response of the DW to external pressure and local signed curvature, we derive closed dynamical equations linking the enclosed area and loop perimeter for both linear and nonlinear arc-velocity response functions. This reduced description enables predictions for the dynamics of both spontaneous and externally driven domains—subjected to constant or alternating fields—within the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau scalar ϕ 4 model. In the linear response regime, where an avoidance principle holds in the absence of external driving, we obtain exact results. In particular, we demonstrate that the relaxation rate of the total spontaneous magnetization becomes quantized for arbitrary initial conditions involving multiple, possibly nested, loops, with discrete jumps corresponding to individual loop collapse events. Under external driving, the avoidance principle breaks down due to sparse interactions between interfaces—either within a single loop or between multiple loops—leading to coalescence or splitting events that change the number of loops. A quantized geometrical observable involving the total area and perimeter is identified in this case as well, exhibiting discrete jumps both at interface interaction events and at individual loop collapses. We further use approximate area-perimeter relations to estimate the spontaneous collapse lifetimes of compact magnetic domains, as well as their dynamics under alternating-field-assisted collapse in disordered ultrathin magnetic films. Our predictions are compared with experimental observations in such systems.