  High spatial resolution X-ray photo-emission electron microscopy technique
has been used to study the influence of the dipolar coupling taking place
between the NiFe and the Co ferromagnetic electrodes of micron sized,
elliptical shaped magnetic tunnel junctions. The chemical selectivity of this
technique allows to observe independently the magnetic domain structure in each
ferromagnetic electrode. The combination of this powerful imaging technique
with micromagnetic simulations allows to evidence that a 360 degree domain wall
can be stabilized in the NiFe soft layer. In this letter, we discuss the origin
and the formation conditions of those 360 degree domain walls evidenced
experimentally and numerically.
