Inter-relation between reversible and irreversible magnetization components in nanocrystalline SmCo films

A study of the experimental behavior of the reversible (M-rev) and the irreversible (M-irr) DCD magnetization components in enhanced-remanence SmCo films was carried out. The evolution of the DCD M-rev and M-irr components were determined at room temperature by measuring sets of first-order reversal curves from different points on the initial magnetization curve and the demagnetization curve. From these data M-rev(M-irr)(Hi) curves were built, H-i being the internal field of the sample. Recent studies show that the behavior of the M-rev(M-irr) curves at a constant internal field can be used as an indicator of the mechanism of reversal magnetization. The non-monotonic behavior showed by these curves at low fields in our material, seems to be associated with an incoherent mechanism of magnetization reversal in the nanograins of SmCo. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.