Study of the magnetic hysteresis in arrays of ferromagnetic Fe nanowires as a function of the template filling fraction

We report on temperature dependent SQUID magnetization measurements on arrays of ferromagnetic Fe nanowires embedded in nanoporous alumina as a function of the template filling fraction. For partially filled membranes the shape anisotropy prevails and dipolar interactions between the nanowires are weak. Almost completely Fe-filled membranes show strong dipolar interactions that dominate the shape of the hysteresis loop. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.