The rate of magnetization reversal due to the nucleation of soliton-antisoliton pairs at point-like defects is found for a uniaxial ferromagnet in an applied magnetic field. Point-like defects are considered as local variations in the magnetic anisotropy over a length scale smaller than the domain-wall width. A weak magnetic field applied along the easy axis causes the magnetization to become metastable, and the lowest activation barrier for reversal involves the nucleation of a soliton-antisoliton pair pinned to a point-like defect. Formulas are derived for the activation energy and field of reversal, and the reversal-rate prefactor is calculated using Langer's theory for the decay of a metastable state. As the applied field tends to zero, the lowest activation energy is found to be exactly half that of an unpinned soliton-antisoliton pair, and results from the formation of a spatially nonuniform metastable state when the defect strength become large. The smallest field of reversal is exactly half of the anisotropy field. The reversal-rate prefactor is found to increase with the number of point-like defects but decreases with increase in the defect strength due to a decrease in the activation entropy when translational symmetry is broken by the point-like defects, and soliton-antisoliton pairs become more strongly localized to the pinning sites.

A graphical technique for finding equilibrium magnetic configurations in exchange coupled multilayer magnetic nanowires is presented. For the case of a two layer wire this technique is used to find two domain wall configurations localized near the interface between the layers. Both configurations are demonstrated to satisfy some important requirements for use in a calculation of the rate of magnetization reversal due to thermal activation. It is described how the graphical technique can be used for other types of multilayer nanowires.

The energy barrier for thermally driven magnetization reversal in a two section nanowire was calculated, based on a mechanism for domain wall nucleation at the interface between sections. The wire was assumed to be cylindrical, uniform in diameter, and consisting of two different types of ferromagnetic material. It was found that the wall either overcomes the barrier and continues through the wire or falls back to its equilibrium position centered in the local minimum.

Nucleation at the interface between two adjoining regions with dissimilar physical properties is investigated using a model for magnetization reversal of a two-layer ferromagnetic nanowire. Each layer of the nanowire is considered to have a different degree of magnetic anisotropy, representing a hard magnetic layer exchange-coupled to a softer layer. A magnetic field applied along the easy axis causes the softer layer to reverse, forming a domain wall close to the interface. For small applied fields this state is metastable and complete reversal of the nanowire takes place via activation over a barrier. A reversal mechanism involving nucleation at an interface is proposed, whereby a domain wall changes in width as it passes from the soft layer to the hard layer during activation. Langer's statistical theory for the decay of a metastable state is used to derive rates of magnetization reversal, and simple formulas are found in limiting cases for the activation energy, rate of reversal, and critical field at which the metastable state becomes unstable. These formulas depend on the anisotropy difference between each layer, and the behavior of the reversal rate prefactor is interpreted in terms of activation entropy and domain-wall dynamics.