Stable spiral domains in ferrite-garnet films

Stable spiral domain structures—spiral domains stabilized by a bubble lattice and lattices of spiral domains—in epitaxial ferrite-garnet films have been experimentally investigated. The thermodynamic approach based on the concept of magnetostatic pressure is applied to explain the behavior of a spiral domain structure with a change in temperature or magnetic field. It is shown that phase transitions in spiral domains are related to phase transitions in the bubble lattice.     

Effect of temperature on the formation of dynamic magnetic domains in ferrite-garnet films

Dynamic domain structures in ferrite-garnet films (111) with normal anisotropy are investigated for the temperature range of 77–300 K. The boundaries of the area of the existence of one- and two-armed spiral domains are determined as a function of the temperature, frequency, and amplitude of the vertical field. It is found that the region of the existence of spiral dynamic domains shift toward low frequencies when the temperature is reduced.     

Dynamic stability of a spiral domain in an ac magnetic field

The dependence of the stability of a magnetic spiral domain in a film on the parameters of the film and its domain structure and on an external magnetic field is considered within a phenomenological model. The model allows one to explain a number of experimentally observed properties of dynamic spiral domains resulting from the process of self-organization of domains and domain walls in an iron-garnet film placed in an external ac magnetic field.     

Formation and evolution of giant dynamic domains in an ac magnetic field

Magnetization reversal in ferrite-garnet films placed in an ac magnetic field, bringing about the formation of metastable dynamic domains with sizes exceeding those of quasi-static domains by an order of magnitude or greater, was studied using a stroboscopic method. The formation of giant dynamic domains (GDDs) is due to the finite domain wall velocity and depends on the density of domain nucleation centers. It was shown that the GDD comblike boundary forms during the part of a field period near the moment of field polarity change. GDDs arise when the dynamic hysteresis loop shape changes from a triangle to an ellipse.     

180° domain structure in a cubic U3P4 crystal

In a thick plate cut from a U₃P₄ single crystal perpendicularly to the 111 direction, changes in the domain structure under the influence of a strong magnetic field perpendicular to the plate surface were studied. Experiments were carried out at T = 28 K, applying the Kerr effect technique to make the domain structure visible. In the cubic crystal studied, the applied field was found to force the appearance of a 180° branched maze domain structure, typical of thick plates of highly anisotropic uniaxial materials. The Hubert-Bodenberger model of this structure was improved and extended by considering the change in the shape of domains occurring with increase in the distance from the sample surfaces, by describing the sample in a non-zero magnetic field and by analyzing the sample in the state of remanence. The model was applied to the case of U₃P₄ and the energy density of 180° domain walls was estimated (γ = 12 erg/cm²).     

Effect of irradiation with Ne<Superscript>+</Superscript> ions on the transformations of domain structures of a uniaxial magnetic film in an AC magnetic field

Effects of irradiation with Ne⁺ ions on the transformations of domain structures (DSs) that occur in a uniaxial magnetic film under the action of an ac magnetic field are investigated. Transitions of a DS from an amorphous state into a hexagonal lattice and a labyrinthine structure are considered. The irradiation is found to lead to a change in the amplitudes of the ac field at which phase transformations of the DS occur. The effect of the magnitude of the ac field on the number of domains in a block with a hexagonal lattice has been studied. It is shown that the process of annealing of defects in a DS consisting of blocks with a hexagonal lattice can be described by the equation of a first-order reaction. The irradiation-induced change in the energy of activation for the annealing of defects in the DS has been found.     

Spiral patterns in magnets

An autowave model of the spiral pattern formation in magnets located in a rotating magnetic field is proposed. The model is based on the overdamped double sine-Gordon equation. Nucleation of spiral domains is associated with the averaged motion of domain walls in the rotating field. A vortex-type defect (Bloch line) is the core of the spiral.     

Surface magnetostatic oscillations in elliptical bubble domains

A theory of surface magnetostatic oscillations in magnetic bubble domains with an elliptical cross section is presented. The dependences of the eigenfrequencies of resonant modes on the applied magnetic field are analyzed for a barium hexaferrite sample with allowance made for the change in the domain size due to a variation in the bias magnetic field. The range of frequency tuning in response to a magnetic field ranging from the elliptical instability field to the collapse field is estimated. It is demonstrated that elliptical bubble domains can be used as microminiature resonators operating in the millimeter range.     

Equilibrium bi-domain configuration in cylindrical magnetic microparticles

This report is on the equilibrium bi-domain structure in magnetic microparticles of cylindrical shape with circular or elliptic cross-section and finite thickness. The model is for two coaxial 180 degree domains. The dependence of the inner domain dimensions on bias magnetic field was estimated for a series of particle aspect ratios. It is shown that a change in bias field leads to significant variation in the inner domain radius and that such variations occur at decreasing field strength as the particle height increases. Results of our model are of importance for magnetic particles ground state calculations and analysis of spin-wave oscillations in ferrite micro- and nano-resonators with non-uniform internal magnetization.     

Finite lifetime of spiral domains in the anger state of multidomain magnetic films

The finite lifetime T _g of a dynamic spiral domain in the anger state in a multidomain film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is estimated theoretically in the framework of a dissipative model. The finite lifetime of spiral domains is investigated as a function of the frequency of an external ac magnetic field that varies according to a harmonic law.     

面内场和静态偏磁场作用下条畴和泡畴的稳定性

实验研究面内场H_in和静态偏磁场H_b作用下,(111)面磁泡膜内条畴的消失过程。保持H_b恒定,增加H_in,测量条畴消失场H_s^*和泡畴消失场H_k^*与面内场方向β的变化关系。计及立方磁晶各向异性的影响,建立H_in和H_b共同存在时的条畴稳定性理论。定性解释了实验的主要特点。导出黑、白条畴同时消失时的角度 β_n=1/3(2nπ±arc cos│3/(2^1/2)(M_sH_b)/K₁│)(n=0,±1,±2,…)与实验基本符合。 关键词：     

Three-dimensional diagrams of the regions occupied by induced Anger states in a multidomain magnetic medium

The regions of existence of Anger states in an iron garnet film are plotted and investigated for the first time in a space of three controlling parameters: the frequency and amplitude of the alternating field and the magnitude of the static bias field. It is shown that the dynamic spiral domains differ significantly in their configuration and properties in different regions. A quantitative parameter involving the velocity of the domain walls and the “looseness” (sparseness) of the dynamic array of magnetic domains is introduce to characterize the favorability of conditions for the formation of spiral domains. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1865–1870 (October 1998)     

Ferroelectric domain breakdown

We observe a stringlike domain penetration from a ferroelectric surface deep into the crystal bulk induced by a high voltage atomic force microscope tip. The domains, which resemble channels of an electrical breakdown, nucleate under an electric field of around 10(7) V/cm at the ferroelectric surface, and grow throughout the crystal bulk where the external electric field is practically zero. A theory explaining the shape of the formed domains is presented. It shows that the driving force for the domain breakdown is the decrease of the total free energy of the system with increasing domain length.     

Comparison of phase behavior between water soluble and insoluble surfactants at the air-water interface

The surface phase behavior of 2-hydroxyethyl myristate (2-HEM) has been studied in Langmuir monolayers by measuring surface pressure (π)-area (A) isotherms with a film balance and observing monolayer morphology with a Brewster angle microscope (BAM). These results are compared with the phase behavior of 2-hydroxyethyl laurate (2-HEL) in Gibbs monolayers studied by measuring π-time (t) curves and observing monolayer morphology. The π-A isotherms of 2-HEM show a first-order phase transition from a liquid expanded (LE) phase to a liquid condensed (LC) phase in the temperature range between 5 and 35 °C whereas the π-t curves of 2-HEL represent a similar phase transition in the temperature range between 2 and 25 °C. The critical surface pressure, π_c necessary for the phase transitions increases with increasing temperature in both the cases. The LC domains formed in 2-HEM show circular shapes, which are independent of the temperature. In contrast, the circular domains having stripe texture formed at lower temperatures show a shape transition to fingering domains with uniform brightness at 15 °C. The amphiphile, 2-HEM having 13-carbon chain has higher line tension than 2-HEL that has 11-carbon chain as tail. Thus, for 2-HEM, this high line tension always dominates over other factors giving rise to circular domains at the all studied temperatures.     

Anomalous compressibility and magnetostriction of beryllium under the conditions of diamagnetic domain formation

Magnetostriction oscillations are measured for a single-crystal beryllium sample shaped like a plate perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field. In the range of 2–5 T at a temperature of 1.5 K, i.e., in the region of diamagnetic domain formation (Condon domains), the striction signal has the saw-tooth shape corresponding to the alternation of homogeneous and nonhomogeneous (domain) states. The formation of the domain structure is accompanied by an anomalous increase in compressibility; the oscillations in this coefficient are more than one hundred times greater than the value given by the standard theory. An analysis of the results indicates that the domain wall width should increase with increasing plate thickness.     

Extremely small domain in the lattice of magnetic dipoles

Lattices of magnetic dipoles with 1–4 rows are investigated. Numerical analysis reveals the smallest stationary domains formed in the lattices, necessary conditions for the formation and destruction of such domains are obtained, and the change in the magnetic moment of the lattices during domain formation is considered. It is shown that the action of an external field on one of the dipoles forming a domain is sufficient for its breaking. The lattices in which the orientational phase transition appears upon perturbation of several dipoles and propagates over the entire system are revealed.     

Domain structure and charge ordering in a layered manganite La<Subscript>1.2</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>1.8</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> crystal

Charge ordering in a layered manganite La_1.2Sr_1.8Mn₂O₇ crystal with structural domains was studied using neutron diffraction in the temperature range 175–700 K. The wave vector of the charge ordering in the crystal is found to be q ? {0.2, 0, 0}2π/a. It is argued that the actual domain structure of the anisotropic crystal affects its charge-ordering state.     

Models of spin structures in Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>RuO<Subscript>4</Subscript>

The mean-field method is used to calculate the bands, Fermi surfaces, and spin susceptibilities of a three-band model of the RuO₄ plane of Sr₂RuO₄ rutinate for states with different spin structures. In particular, the spiral state is studied with the “incommensurate” vector Q=2π(1/3, 1/3) corresponding to the nesting of bands with the population n=4. This state proves to be the lowest with respect to energy among other (paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and periodic) solutions. In the spiral state, in addition to the main α, β, and γ sheets of the Fermi surface, shadow Fermi boundaries along the Γ(0, 0)-M(π, 0) line (previously observed in the ARPES experiments) are revealed and explained. This may change the interpretation of the data on dispersionless peaks in photoemission, previously ascribed to surface states. The spin susceptibilities of the spiral state exhibit peaks in the dependence Im?(q, ω) at q=Q in accordance with the observed magnetic peak in neutron scattering. The hypothesis of the presence of spin structures with q=Q in the normal state of Sr₂RuO₄ and the methods of checking this hypothesis are discussed.     

Observation of domains in the helical phase of MnP

Chirality domains differentiated by the sense of rotation of the spiral are observed by polarized neutron diffraction topography in single crystals of MnP. They mainly occur as stripes perpendicular to the helix axis about 150 μm in width and several mm in length.The domain patterns and senses of spiral are repeatable on thermal cycling though polishing or application of a uniaxial stress modifies the domain structure and relative volumes. Grossly unbalanced domain populations have been observed.     

Diamagnetic domains and magnetostriction in beryllium

Magnetostriction was for the first time studied under the conditions of formation of diamagnetic domains (Condon domains). Transverse magnetostriction oscillations on a beryllium single crystalline plate oriented normally to magnetic field were measured in magnetic fields up to 7 T at temperatures down to 1.5 K. The relative amplitude of oscillations increased almost as the square of magnetic field and reached 10^?5. The signal had a sawtoothed shape corresponding to alternation of homogeneous and inhomogeneous (domain) states in the region of the existence of magnetic domains. The arising of domains was accompanied by singularities in the observed signals which is explained by an anomalous increase in the compressibility coefficient of the domain state: coefficient oscillations were more than 100 times larger than the value predicted by the standard theory. The observed relation between magnetization current and deformation led us to conclude that the compressibility of the metal was fully determined by conduction electrons. Magnetostriction then exactly compensated Fermi level oscillations. The position of the Fermi level therefore remained constant under magnetic field variations. In addition, the domain wall thickness had to increase as the plate grew thicker.