The remagnetization process in spin-valve structures

The process of magnetization reversal in ultrathin magnetic trilayer is analyzed. It is shown that the shape of magnetization hysteresis loops and the giant magnetoresistance essentially depend on the relative magnitudes of magnetic parameters of the top and the bottom layers. New types of hysteresis loops are found for characteristic relative magnitudes of the parameters. Analysis of the dependence of the shape of hysteresis loops on the magnitude of interlayer exchange is performed. The phase diagram which determines the regions of existence of characteristic hysteresis loops for different relative magnitudes of the uniaxial anisotropy constant and exchange constant J₁ is constructed.     

Magnetization reversal in granular thin films

The paper discusses the physics of magnetization reversal in granular magnetic films. It gives an overview of the key physical properties that determine the collective and macroscopically observable magnetization reversal behavior. In particular, the multitude of observable hysteresis loops is reduced to three key physical quantities, namely the single grain switching field distribution D(h_s), the inter-granular exchange coupling constant J_ex, and the magnetostatic interaction constant J_ms. By varying the relative influence of these quantities, many different shapes of hysteresis loops can occur, which is documented by experimental examples. The regime of partially and strongly correlated reversal is discussed in detail, and minor loop measurements are presented that show scaling behavior for strongly correlated magnetization reversal in the vicinity of hysteresis loop criticality.     

Study of the magnetic interaction in nanocrystalline Pr-Fe-Co-Nb-B permanent magnets

The magnetic properties of an isotropic, epoxy resin bonded magnets made from Pr-Fe-Co-Nb-B powder were investigated. The magnetization reversal process and magnetic parameters were examined by measurements of the initial magnetization curve, major and minor hysteresis loops and sets of recoil curves. From the initial magnetization curve and the field dependencies of the reversible and irreversible magnetization components derived from the recoil loops it was found that the magnetization reversal process is the combination of the nucleation of reversed domains and pinning of domain walls at the grain boundaries and the reversible rotation of magnetization vector in single domain grains. The interactions between grains were studied by means of δM plots. The nonlinear behavior of δM curve approve that the short range intergrain exchange coupling interactions are dominant in a field up to the sample coercivity.The interaction domains and fine magnetic structure were revealed as the evidence of exchange coupling between soft α-Fe and hard magnetic Nd₂Fe₁₄B grains.     

The magnetic properties of disordered Fe-Al alloy system

Using the effective field theory with a probability distribution technique that accounts for the self-spin correlation functions, the magnetic properties of disordered Fe-Al alloys on the basis of a site-diluted quantum Heisenberg spin model are examined. We calculated the critical temperature and the hysteresis loops for this system. We find a number of characteristic phenomena. In particular, the effect of concentration c of magnetic atoms and the reduced exchange anisotropic parameter η on both the critical temperature and magnetization profiles are clarified.     

The Features of the Structural and Magnetic Characteristics of Low-Dimensional Thin-Film Systems Based on Cobalt and Copper

The results of investigation of the structural and magnetic characteristics of Co/Cu/Co thin-film systems obtained by magnetron sputtering on glass substrates are presented. The thickness of the cobalt layer in all samples was 5 nm and the thickness of the copper layer was varied from 0.5 to 4 nm. The saturation field H _S of the studied samples was found to oscillate in magnitude with changes in the copper-layer thickness with a period on the order of 1 nm. The maximum values of H _S are observed for the thin-film systems with t_Cu = 1.4, 2.2, and 3.2 nm. The hysteresis loops measured for these systems in a magnetic field applied along the easy magnetization axis of the samples have a two-stage shape, while for the samples with other values of tCu the hysteresis loops are rectangular. These data are explained by the presence of exchange coupling between the ferromagnetic layers through a copper spacer and its oscillating behavior with changing t_Cu.     

Anisotropy of quasistatic magnetization-reversal processes in (210)-oriented iron-garnet films

An experimental study is made of the effect of an in-plane field H _p of various orientations on the domain structure and shape of the hysteresis loops of epitaxial iron garnet films with the (210) orientation. The characteristic of the magnetization reversal process (in fields somewhat lower than the anisotropy field) is taken to be the critical fields H _p1, H _p2, and H _p3, for which the magnetization reversal processes is interrupted at distinct stages. A method is proposed for constructing the phase diagram of the magnetic states of films, using measurements of the critical fields H _p for different amplitudes of the magnetization reversal field H _z . Two directions in the plane of the film are determined with an accuracy of a fraction of a degree from the hysteresis loops, where in the corresponding field Hp the transition from a single-domain state to a multidomain state occurs as a second-order phase transition. The characteristic changes in the shape of the hysteresis loop are consistent with the features in the reorganization of the domain structure of the (210) film. The preferential orientations of the stripe domain structure of the samples are determined relative to the crystal axes as determined by x-ray methods. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 32–35 (June 1997) Deceased     

Minor hysteresis loops model based on exponential parameters scaling of the modified Jiles–Atherton model

In this present work, the minor hysteresis loops model based on parameters scaling of the modified Jiles–Atherton model is evaluated by using judicious expressions. These expressions give the minor hysteresis loops parameters as a function of the major hysteresis loop ones. They have exponential form and are obtained by parameters identification using the stochastic optimization method “simulated annealing”. The main parameters influencing the data fitting are three parameters, the pinning parameter k, the mean filed parameter α and the parameter which characterizes the shape of anhysteretic magnetization curve a. To validate this model, calculated minor hysteresis loops are compared with measured ones and good agreements are obtained.     

Exchange bias effect in multiferroic Eu0.75Y0.25MnO3

The exchange bias phenomenon has been investigated in multiferroic Eu_0.75Y_0.25MnO₃. The material shows a weak ferromagnetism with cone spin configuration induced by external magnetic field below 30 K. Consequently, the electric polarization coming from the cycloid spin order below 30 K can be suppressed by external magnetic fields. The magnetic hysteresis loops after cooling in a magnetic field exhibit characteristics of exchange bias below the spin glassy freezing temperature (T_g)∼16 K. The exchange bias field, coercivity field, and remanent magnetization increase with increasing cooling magnetic field. The exchange bias effect is ascribed to the frozen uncompensated spins at the antiferromagnetism/weak ferromagnetism interfaces in the spin-glass like phase.     

Influence of anisotropy constants of higher order on the magnetic reversal of uniaxial magnets

Within the framework of a simple model in which only homogeneous states of magnetization are considered, the influence of the constants of magnetic crystallographic anisotropy of higher order on the critical field of domain formation and the hysteresis loops of uniaxial magnets is investigated. It is shown that the critical field depends strongly on both the sign of K₁ and on the ratio of the magnitudes and signs of K₂/K₁ and K₃/K₁. On the basis of stability analysis for the free energy, hysteresis loops of uniaxial magnets as a function of K_i are calculated.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 39–43, April, 1990.     

Inverted near-surface hysteresis loops in heterogeneous (nanocrystalline/amorphous) Fe<Subscript>81</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>7</Subscript>B<Subscript>12</Subscript> alloys

Inverted hysteresis loops were observed for the first time in the near-surface layers of heterogeneous (nanocrystalline/amorphous) Fe₈₁Nb₇B₁₂ alloys. In particular, a negative residual magnetization is observed when a positive magnetic field applied in the sample plane is decreased to zero. The inverted hysteresis is qualitatively explained within the framework of a two-phase model, according to which the heterogeneous alloys contain two dissimilar phases exhibiting uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and featuring antiferromagnetic exchange interaction.     

Exchange bias with Fe substitution in LaMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We observe the negative shift of the magnetic hysteresis loop at 5 K, while the sample is cooled in external magnetic field in case of 30% of Fe substitution in LaMnO₃. The negative shift and training effect of the hysteresis loops indicate the phenomenon of exchange bias. The cooling field dependence of the negative shift increases with the cooling field below 7.0 kOe and then, decreases with further increase of cooling field. The temperature dependence of the negative shift of the hysteresis loops exhibits that the negative shift decreases sharply with increasing temperature and vanishes above 20 K. Temperature dependence of dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements show a sharp peak (T_p) at 51 K and a shoulder (T_f) around 20 K. The relaxation of magnetization shows the ferromagnetic and glassy magnetic components in the relaxation process, which is in consistent with the cluster-glass compound.     

Magnetic properties of electron-doped La0.23Ca0.77MnO3 nanoparticles

Magnetic properties of electron-doped La_0.23Ca_0.77MnO₃ manganite nanoparticles, with average size of 12 and 60?nm, prepared by the glycine?Cnitrate method, have been investigated in the temperature range 5?C300?K and magnetic fields up to 90?kOe. It is suggested that weak ferromagnetic moment results from ferromagnetic shells of the basically antiferromagnetic nanoparticles and from domains of frustrated disordered phase in the core. Assumption of two distinct sources of ferromagnetism is supported by the appearance of two independent ferromagnetic contributions in the fit of the T ^3/2 Bloch law to spontaneous magnetization. The ferromagnetic components, which are more pronounced in smaller particles, occupy only a small fraction of the nanoparticle volume and the antiferromagnetic ground state remains stable. It is found that the magnetic hysteresis loops following field cooled processes, display size-dependent horizontal and vertical shifts, namely, exhibiting exchange bias effect. Time-dependent magnetization dynamics demonstrating two relaxation rates were observed at constant magnetic fields upon cooling to T?<?100?K.     

Magnetically coupled clusters in aggregated maghemite ferrofluid: Mössbauer and magnetization study

Mössbauer spectroscopy in a weak static magnetic field and measurements of isothermal magnetization loops were used to study the effect of polymer coating of the γ-Fe ₂ O ₃ nanoparticles on the magnetic properties of concentrated ensembles of such nanoparticles. It was found that the individual coating of the nanoparticles by a ～ 1 nm layer of the polymer leads to the observable changes in the shapes of the Mössbauer spectra and the magnetization curves of the ensembles. Modeling of the experimental magnetization curves in the classical Langevin model and analysis of the Mössbauer spectra in the generalized multi-level relaxation model revealed that the establishment of interparticle magnetic dipole interactions leads to both a ～ 30 % increase in the magnetic anisotropy constant and a ～ 35 % increase in the width of the hysteresis loop.     

Modeling of two-phase magnetic materials based on Jiles-Atherton theory of hysteresis

The Jiles-Atherton (JA) theory of hysteresis has been extended in the present paper to model hysteresis in two-phase magnetic materials. Two-phase materials are those that exhibit two magnetic phases in one hysteresis cycle: one at lower fields and the other at higher fields. In magnetic hysteresis, the transition from one phase to the other i.e. low field phase to high field phase depends mainly on the exchange field. Hence, the material-dependent microstructural parameters of JA theory: spontaneous magnetization, M_S, pinning factor, k, domain density, a, domain coupling, α, and reversibility factor, c, are represented as functions of the exchange field. Several cases based on this model have been discussed and compared with the measured data from existing literature. The shapes of the calculated and measured hysteresis loops are in excellent agreement.     

A model for magnetic abnormalies of FeNi Invar alloys

A model based on the idea of localized magnetic moments is presented which allows to calculate the local magnetic moment expectation values of FeNi alloys. The only parameters of the model are the exchange integralsJ _FeFe,J _FeNi,J _NiNi. By assuming a “mixed” exchange interaction the concentration dependence of the exchange integralsJ _FeFe andJ _FeNi is calculated. The model allows the iron magnetic moments to orient parallel or antiparallel to the magnetization axis, depending on the local environment. It explains the magnetic abnormalies of FeNi Invar alloys as for example the concentration dependence of the mean magnetic moment and the Curie temperatures as well as the characteristic “flat” courves of the spontaneous magnetization.     

Magnetic and magneto-optical properties of epitaxial cobalt films grown on a corrugated CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Si surface

The magnetic properties of CaF₂/Co/CaF₂(110)/Si(001) heterostructures fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy and having a corrugated CaF₂ buffer surface were studied. The optical and magneto-optical properties of these structures reflect the C _2v symmetry of the corrugated structure surface. The studies of hysteresis loops using the longitudinal and transverse magneto-optical Kerr effects under oblique light incidence and of magneto-optical phenomena under near-normal light incidence demonstrate that the corrugated structure surface leads to optical and magneto-optical anisotropies. The magnetization of such structures occurs via coherent magnetization rotation over a wide magnetic-field range. The magnetic anisotropy of these structures is described using a Gaussian distribution of easy axes of magnetization in cobalt granules about the direction parallel to the groove direction. The asymmetry of hysteresis loops of the rotation of the plane of polarization detected under oblique and normal light incidence is shown to be related to the contributions to the effective film permittivity that are quadratic in the magnetic moment.     

Temperature dependence of the effective anisotropy in Ni nanowire arrays

Magnetic hysteresis in Ni nanowire arrays grown by electrodeposition inside the pores of anodic alumina templates is studied as a function of temperature in the range between 5 K and 300 K. Nanowires with different diameters, aspect ratios, inter-wire distance in the array and surface condition (smooth and rough) are synthesized. These microstructure parameters are linked to the different free magnetic energy contributions determining coercivity and the controlling magnetization reversal mechanisms. Coercivity increases with temperature in arrays of nanowires with rough surfaces and small diameters ─33 nm and 65 nm─ when measured without removing the alumina template and/or the Al substrate. For thicker wires ─200 nm in diameter and relatively smooth surfaces─ measured without the Al substrate, coercivity decreases as temperature rises. These temperature dependences of magnetic hysteresis are described in terms of an effective magnetic anisotropy K_a, resulting from the interplay of magnetocrystalline, magnetoelastic and shape anisotropies, together with the magnetostatic interaction energy density between nanowires in the array. The experimentally determined coercive fields are compared with results of micromagnetic calculations, performed considering the magnetization reversal mode acting in each studied array and microstructure parameters. A method is proposed to roughly estimate the value of K_a experimentally, from the hysteresis loops measured at different temperatures. These measured values are in agreement with theoretical calculations. The observed temperature dependence of coercivity does not arise from an intrinsic property of pure Ni but from the nanowires surface roughness and the way the array is measured, with or without the alumina template and/or the aluminum support.     

Dilution effect on the compensation temperature in a honeycomb nano-lattice: Monte Carlo study

In this work, we use Monte Carlo simulations with the Metropolis algorithm to study the dilution effect on the magnetic properties in a honeycomb nano-lattice. The geometry of the system is formed by two sub-lattices of 45+45 = 90 atoms consisting of the spins σ = 3/2 and S = 5/2. The ground state phase diagrams at zero absolute temperature are presented. Also, the variation of the total magnetization with reduced temperature for several values of the reduced exchange coupling are discussed. It is found that the compensation temperature depends on the reduced exchange coupling parameters. Furthermore, the dilution of the S spins affects the compensation temperature and hysteresis loops of the studied system.     

Magnetic properties for cobalt nanorings: Monte Carlo simulation

In this paper, two structure models of cobalt nanoring cells (double-nanorings and four-nanorings, named as D-rings and F-rings, respectively) have been considered. Base on Monte Carlo simulation, the magnetic properties of the D-rings and F-rings, such as hysteresis loops, spin configuration, coercivity, etc., have been studied. The simulated results indicate that both D-rings and F-rings with different inner radius (r) and separation of ring centers (d) display interesting magnetization behavior and spin configurations (onion-, vortex- and crescent shape vortex-type states) in magnetization process. Moreover, it is found that the overlap between the nearest single nanorings connect can result in the deviation of the vortex-type states in the connected regions. Therefore, the appropriate d should be well considered in the design of nanoring device. The simulated results can be explained by the competition between exchange energy and dipolar energy in Co nanorings system. Furthermore, it is found that the simulated temperature dependence of the coercivity for the D-rings with different d can be well described by H_c=H₀ exp[−(T/T₀)^p].     

Magnetic properties of electron-doped Y1−xCexMnO3 compounds

Cerium-doped Y_1−xCe_xMnO₃ compounds have been prepared in single-phase form for x=0 to 0.10. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns could be analyzed by using P6₃cm space group. Temperature variations of ac susceptibility and magnetization measurements show that these Ce-doped materials exhibit weak ferromagnetic transition. The observed ferromagnetic transition is attributed to the double exchange ferromagnetic interaction between Mn²⁺ and Mn³⁺ ions due to electron doping. The M–H loops exhibit hysteresis along with linear contribution and were analyzed based on bound magnetic polaron (BMP) model. Increase in saturation magnetization and decrease in BMP concentrations have been observed with increase in Ce doping.