Angular dependence of the coercivity and remanence of ordered arrays of Co nanowires

The angular dependence of the coercivity and remanence of ordered hexagonal arrays of Co nanowires prepared using anodic aluminum oxide templates was investigated. The experimental evolution of coercivity as a function of the angle, in which the external field is applied, is interpreted considering micromagnetic simulations. Depending on the angle between the axis of the wire and the applied magnetic field direction our results show that the magnetization reversal mode changes from vortex to a transverse domain wall. Besides, we observed that the dipolar interactions cause a reduction in coercive fields, mainly in the direction of easy magnetization of the nanowires. Good agreement between numerical and experimental data is obtained.     

Reversal modes in asymmetric Ni nanowires

We have investigated the evolution of the magnetization reversal mechanism in asymmetric Ni nanowires as a function of their geometry. Circular nanowires are found to reverse their magnetization by the propagation of a vortex domain wall, while in very asymmetric nanowires the reversal is driven by the propagation of a transverse domain wall. The effect of shape asymmetry of the wire on coercivity and remanence is also studied. Angular dependence of the remanence and coercivity is also addressed. Tailoring the magnetization reversal mechanism in asymmetric nanowires can be useful for magnetic logic and race-track memory, both of which are based on the displacement of magnetic domain walls. Finally, an alternative method to detect the presence of magnetic drops is proposed.     

Effect of dipolar interaction on the magnetization state of chains of rectangular particles located either head-to-tail or side-by-side

Magnetostatic coupling in arrays of closely spaced magnetic elements is becoming an important issue in the path to the fabrication of spintronic devices. Dense chains of rounded-corners rectangular particles (dots) of lateral size 1025 × 450 nm², with interdot spacing variable in the range between 55 and 700 nm, have been patterned by deep UV lithography, followed by the lift-off of two permalloy films of thickness 20 and 40 nm. Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) experiments, together with micromagnetic simulations, were performed to study the dependence of the magnetization configuration on the dipolar coupling. Both MOKE measurements and MFM images clearly show that, at remanence, the magnetic state of isolated particles of thickness 20 nm takes the form of a distorted single domain (C-state or S-State configurations). Instead, when the particle thickness is double (40 nm), closure states characterized by one, two or three vortices occur at remanence. However, when the 40 nm thick dots are placed in chains along the easy axis (head to tail), as the separation is progressively reduced, the single domain state is stabilized at remanence. On the other hand, when the 40 nm thick particles are placed side by side in chains the effect of dipolar interactions is to favour the nucleation of vortex states. For small inter-element separation, there is only one vortex per particle and it has the same chirality in adjacent particles, due to the dipolar interaction. Different from this, for the 20 nm thick samples and sub-100 nm separation, adjacent particles are single-domain but with antiparallel magnetization in neighbour elements, like in an artificial antiferromagnet.     

缺陷铁纳米环体系的磁特性研究

采用Monte Carlo方法与快速傅里叶变换微磁学方法相结合的方式,模拟含不同缺陷的铁纳米环的磁滞回线、组态、剩磁等磁特性.研究发现:缺陷的大小与位置明显影响系统的磁化过程.当缺陷较小时,系统存在双稳态特征,此性质与无缺陷系统类似;当缺陷增大时,系统过渡状态增加,双稳态特征不再明显.进一步的研究发现,缺陷系统的剩磁随缺陷半径D的增大而增大.上述结果与非对称纳米环系统的磁特性类似,并可以通过零场状态下的系统自旋组态的变化加以解释.当系统圆心与缺陷中心的间距Y增加时,剩磁与Y的关系是非线性的:剩磁先随Y的增大而增大,后随Y的增大而减小.模拟结果可用零场状态下不同Y值的组态变化进行详细解释.上述研究结果表明,缺陷可以明显影响铁纳米环的磁特性.     

磁性纳米颗粒系统偶极相互作用的Monte Carlo研究

采用局域Monte Carlo方法模拟不同易轴分布的简单立方排列单分散单畴Fe纳米颗粒系统的ZFC-FC曲线及磁滞回线.结果表明：随着偶极相互作用的增强，系统的阻塞温度T_B逐渐增大，且ZFC曲线的峰变宽.说明偶极相互作用使得系统的有效能垒提高，分布宽度增加.研究FC曲线磁化强度的倒数与温度关系，发现偶极相互作用系统中存在反铁磁有序.系统的阻塞态及超顺磁态的磁滞回线表明，极低低温下，随着偶极相互作用的增强，系统的矫顽力和剩磁减小，偶极相互作用阻碍系统的磁化；系统处于超顺磁态，各向异性作用及偶极相互作用使得系统的磁化曲线偏离Langevin曲线且偶极相互作用展现出退磁相互作用效应.偶极相互作用增强，系统磁化曲线与Langevin曲线偏差量的最大值向低场移动.在偶极相互作用下，易轴与外场夹角为45°的磁性纳米颗粒系统的平均有效能垒和有效能垒分布宽度较易轴随机分布系统的大.     

Tailoring the magnetic properties of Fe asymmetric nanodots

Asymmetric dots as a function of their geometry have been investigated using three-dimensional (3D) object oriented micromagnetic framework (OOMMF) code. The effect of shape asymmetry of the disk on coercivity and remanence is studied. Angular dependence of the remanence and coercivity is also addressed. Asymmetric dots are found to reverse their magnetization by nucleation and propagation of a vortex, when the field is applied parallel to the direction of asymmetry. However, complex reversal modes appear when the angle at which the external field is applied is varied, leading to a non-monotonic behavior of the coercivity and remanence.     

Dynamic origin of vortex core switching in soft magnetic nanodots

The magnetic vortex with in-plane curling magnetization and out-of-plane magnetization at the core is a unique ground state in nanoscale magnetic elements. This kind of magnetic vortex can be used, through its downward or upward core orientation, as a memory unit for information storage, and thus, controllable core switching deserves some special attention. Our analytical and micromagnetic calculations reveal that the origin of vortex core reversal is a gyrotropic field. This field is induced by vortex dynamic motion and is proportional to the velocity of the moving vortex. Our calculations elucidate the physical origin of the vortex core dynamic reversal, and, thereby, offer a key to effective manipulation of the vortex core orientation.     

Modelling of toroidal moment switching and dynamics in ferromagnetic nanorings

Switching between right and left vortex magnetization states in annular ferromagnetic nanostructures, was studied. The study was performed by numerically solving the modified Landau-Lifshitz equation with consideration of the effect of spin transfer and full-scale consideration of the magnetostatic field, exchange energy, and anisotropy energy. The dynamics of magnetization reversal of the ferromagnetic nanoring, caused by the electric current flowing perpendicularly to the object plane and penetrating the structure, was studied taking into account two mechanisms of the current effect on magnetization: by the Oersted field and spin transfer. It was found that the presence of the spin polarization both perpendicular and parallel to the nanoring plane decreases the critical current at which the object is switched by an order of magnitude. It was shown that the toroidal moment \(\vec T\) is a convenient characteristic for describing magnetization reversal processes in annular magnetic nanostructures.     

Anti-function solution of uniaxial anisotropic Stoner-Wohlfarth model

The anti-trigonometric function is used to strictly solve the uniaxial anisotropic Stoner-Wohlfarth (SW) model, which can obtain the relation of the angle α (θ) between the magnetization (the anisotropy field) and the applied magnetic field. Using this analytic solution, the hysteresis loops of uniaxial anisotropic SW particles magnetized in typical directions could be numerically calculated. Then, the hysteresis loops are obtained in randomly distributed SW particle ensembles while ignoring the dipole interaction among them with the analytic solution. Finally, the correctness of the analytic solution is verified by the exact solutions of remanence, switching field, and coercivity from the SW model. The analytic solution provides an important reference for understanding the magnetizing and magnetization reversal processes of magnetic materials.     

Ultrafast nanomagnetic toggle switching of vortex cores

We present an ultrafast route for a controlled, toggle switching of magnetic vortex cores with ultrashort unipolar magnetic field pulses. The switching process is found to be largely insensitive to extrinsic parameters, like sample size and shape, and it is faster than any field-driven magnetization reversal process previously known from micromagnetic theory. Micromagnetic simulations demonstrate that the vortex core reversal is mediated by a rapid sequence of vortex-antivortex pair creation and annihilation subprocesses. Specific combinations of field-pulse strength and duration are required to obtain a controlled vortex core reversal. The operational range of this reversal mechanism is summarized in a switching diagram for a 200 nm Permalloy disk.     

The effect of the single-spin defect on the stability of the in-plane vortex state in 2D magnetic nanodots

The aim of this study is to analyse the stability of the single in-plane vortex state in two-dimensional magnetic nanodots with a nonmagnetic impurity (single-spin defect) at the centre. Small square and circular dots including up to a few thousand of spins are studied by means of a microscopic theory with nearest-neighbour exchange interactions and dipolar interactions fully taken into account. We calculate the spin-wave frequencies versus the dipolar-to-exchange interaction ratio d to find the values of d for which the assumed state is stable. Transitions to other states and their dependence on d and the vortex size are investigated as well, with two types of transition found: vortex core formation for small d values (strong exchange interactions), and in-plane reorientation of spins for large d values (strong dipolar interactions). Various types of localized spin waves responsible for these transitions are identified.     

Micromagnetic simulation of Fe asymmetric nanorings

During the last decade several methods to control the vortex chirality in nanodots have been proposed. One of them, the introduction of asymmetry in the geometry of the dots, originates interesting effects on the magnetic behavior of the particle. However, asymmetry in core-free structures is also interesting to investigate because of the reproducibility of their magnetic properties. In this work we report systematic changes in the coercivity and remanence in asymmetric nanorings. The angular dependence is also addressed. For specific geometries and magnetic field direction newly reversal modes appear associated with important changes in the coercivity and remanence of the rings.     

On the magnetization reversal process in CoCr recording media

CoCr metallic films are widely investigated as recording media with vertical anisotropy. This media is not yet completely characterized especially with regard to the magnetization reversal process. It is argued here that measurements of the angular dependence of the coercivity and remanence coercivity are completely consistent with incoherent reversal processes.     

Systematic study of magnetization reversal in square Fe nanodots of varying dimensions in different orientations

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles can be used for data storage, spintronics, and other applications. Especially vortex states are often suggested to be used to store information. Due to the shape anisotropy dominating in nanoparticles, magnetization reversal processes can be expected to depend not only on the dimensions, but also on the orientation with respect to the external magnetic field. While several papers evaluate magnetization dynamics, including vortex precessions, in round nanodots, square nanodots are less often investigated. Here we report on different magnetization reversal processes found in micromagnetic simulations of square Fe nanodots with lateral dimensions between 100 nm and 500 nm and thicknesses between 10 nm and 50 nm. Choosing magnetic field orientations parallel to one of the square edges and under 45^°, seven different reversal mechanisms were found, most of them including a single-vortex state, while in some cases two, three or more vortex-antivortex pairs were found. The ground state, i.e. the magnetic state at vanishing external magnetic field, was often a single-vortex state, making the nanodot with the respective dimensions suitable for data storage applications. The stability of this state, i.e. the field range over which it existed, depended strongly on the lateral dimensions and the dot thickness and was largest for small lateral dimensions and large thicknesses.     

Multipolar ordering and magnetization reversal in two-dimensional nanomagnet arrays

The low-temperature stable states and the magnetization reversal of realistic two-dimensional nanoarrays with higher-order magnetostatic interactions are studied theoretically. For a general calculus of the multipole-multipole interaction energy we introduce a Hamiltonian in spherical coordinates into the Monte Carlo scheme. We demonstrate that higher-order interactions considerably change the dipolar ground states of in-plane magnetized arrays favoring collinear configurations. The multipolar interactions lead to enhancement or decrease of the coercivity in arrays with in-plane or out-of-plane magnetization.     

Magnetization reversal in weakly coupled magnetic patterns

Ion irradiation is an original process to pattern the structural and as a consequence the magnetic properties of ultra-thin films, down to the nanometer scale. Patterns of dots and tracks have been fabricated by focused Ga⁺ ion beam scanned onto a Co layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Depending on the dose, the magnetic behaviour of the nanometric irradiated lines can be tuned from the ferromagnetic with reduced coercivity to paramagnetic. The larger the fluence, the smaller is the exchange between dots or tracks. These systems enabled investigations of the competition between exchange and dipolar interactions. For arrays designed with high irradiation doses and only coupled by dipolar interactions, the magnetic relaxation proceeds by the magnetization reversal of individual dots and follows a power-law time decay. Monte Carlo simulations reproduce this time dependence.     

Remanenz und Ummagnetisierungsbeginn in Nickeleinkristallen

The hysteresis, especially the remanence, and the magnetostriction of nickel single crystal rods of 〈110〉, 〈111〉, 〈100〉 and medium orientation are measured at room temperature in a magnetic joke and their dependence on plastic deformation is investigated. In undeformed crystals the nucleation of reverse domains needs a negativeH-field several times the coercivity, thus causing an “overshooting” of the hysteresis. Very small plastic deformations initiate the formation of the reverse domains and destroy the overshooting. Similar to polycrystals, the remanence of the single crystals — except those with 〈100〉 as axis — falls steeply at the beginning of plastic deformation to about 40% of its initial value. The magnetization reversal and the role of nucleation processes are discussed for the different orientations.     

Magnetization reversal processes in layered high-temperature superconductors with ferromagnetic impurities

The self-consistent interaction of a vortex system of a high-temperature superconductor and ferromagnetic impurities, including single impurities and their clusters, has been considered in the model of a layered high-temperature superconductor. For different temperatures and concentrations of ferromagnetic impurities, the magnetization reversal loops have been calculated by the Monte Carlo method taking into account an ensemble of ferromagnetic particles with different orientations of their easy magnetization axes with respect to the direction of an external magnetic field and for different magnetic anisotropy energies. It has been demonstrated that there is a nonlinear interaction of the high-temperature superconductor with ferromagnetic impurities, in which the initially thermodynamically reversible character of the magnetization reversal of the ferromagnetic ensemble can become irreversible. For a periodic lattice of clusters of ferromagnetic impurities, the magnetization curves of the high-temperature superconductor have been calculated for different sizes and configurations of the clusters. It has been revealed that, when extended defects are oriented parallel to the direction of the entrance of vortices in the sample, the length of the defects does not affect the remanent magnetization. It has been shown that the inclusion of the interaction between the magnetic moments inside the impurity cluster leads to a decrease in the magnetization reversal loop, the coercivity, and, accordingly, the energy loss due to magnetization reversal.     

Magnetic properties of single biogenic magnetite nanoparticles

Biogenic magnetite nanoparticles (MNP) extracted from the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 have been systematically studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Isolated single MNP and chains of MNP were obtained from diluted MNP aqueous suspension dried on mica surfaces in a homogeneous in-plane magnetic field. The size of the MNP was determined by employing AFM tip deconvolution procedures. The obtained result has been confirmed by scanning electronic microscopy. Magnetic properties of isolated single MNP and chains of MNP in remanence and in the presence of external magnetic fields were investigated by MFM. In particular, the magnetization reversal of a two-particle chain has been revealed and the dipolar interaction between the MNP is estimated. The change in the magnetic contrast on application of an external magnetic field is consistent with the hysteresis curve obtained by cantilever magnetometry.     

The role of dipolar interaction in nanocomposite permanent magnets

The effects of dipolar interactions on the magnetization behaviors and magnetic properties of the nanocomposite magnets have been studied by micromagnetic simulations. Numerical results show that the dipolar interaction plays an important role during the demagnetization process, especially in the magnets with large soft-phase content _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. For the isotropic nanocomposites, the remanence enhancement can be controlled through adjustments of the grain size D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. However, the appearance of magnetic vortex state leads to a very low remanence in the magnets with large D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. The dependence of coercivity on D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$ can be attributed to the exchange-induced magnetization reversal near the grain boundaries and the low nucleation field of soft phase, respectively. For the anisotropic nanocomposites, the reduced remanence _mr$m_{\mathrm{r}}$ is equal to 1.0$1.0$ for the magnets with small D   or with low _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. However, _mr$m_{\mathrm{r}}$ decreases with increasing _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$ for the magnet with large D   due to the influence of dipolar interactions. The difference between the calculated coercivity _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$ with and without considering dipolar interaction shows that the dipolar interaction plays a more important role during the magnetization reversal in the soft phase than that in the hard phase. The maximum calculated energy product of the isotropic nanocomposites is only about 40 MGOe due to the conflicting relation between remanence and coercivity, while that of the anisotropic nanocomposites is 112 MGOe. This reminds us that the alignment of hard grain is important to obtain high performance.