Magnetic reversal in nanoscopic ferromagnetic rings

We present a theory of magnetization reversal due to thermal fluctuations in thin submicron-scale rings composed of soft magnetic materials. The magnetization in such geometries is more stable against reversal than that in thin needles and other geometries, where sharp ends or edges can initiate nucleation of a reversed state. The two-dimensional ring geometry also allows us to evaluate the effects of nonlocal magnetostatic forces. We find a phase transition, which should be experimentally observable, between an Arrhenius and a non-Arrhenius activation regime as magnetic field is varied in a ring of fixed size.