Abstract
We report on magnetic imaging study of regular hexagonal shaped NiFe elements arranged in different configurations. By making use of stray field with moderate strength and well-defined symmetry, which is lacking in vortices formed in circular elements, it is possible to control the relative chirality of vortex in a ring network of hexagons unlike in an array network. However, the alternating chirality of the hexagons disappears when the interelemental spacing becomes large, an element is missing from the ring network, or they are arranged in linear chains. The results can be understood by the symmetry and direction of the stray field generated by the individual elements. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3067852]