Computational micromagnetism of magnetic structures and magnetisation processes in small particles

The characteristic parameters of the hysteresis loops of soft magnetic materials depend on intrinsic material parameters as e.g. spontaneous magnetisation, anisotropy constants, magnetostriction, etc., as well as geometrical shapes and microstructures. Applying finite element techniques for the solution of the micromagnetic equilibrium equations including time-dependent terms, magnetisation patterns as well as magnetisation processes are determined for small platelets. It turns out that the exchange length, l(s) = root 2A/mu(0)M(S)(2), of the stray field energy and that of the crystal anisotropy constant, l(K) = root A/K, govern the magnetic structures and the magnetization processes. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.