New Methodology for Micromagnetic Simulations of Nanocomposites With Applications to SANS Experiments

in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics (2011), 47(10), 3044-3047

Crossing length scales and interface-induced spin disorder in nanocrystalline rare- earth ferromagnets

Scientific Conference (2010)

One-D neutron-polarization analysis on magnetic nanostructures

in Europhysics News (2010), 41(5), 15-15

Coulomb Cluster: Strukturen aus Staub

Presentation (2010)

Magnetic interactions in nanomagnets: a neutron-scattering study

Presentation (2010)

Neutron spin-flip scattering of nanocrystalline cobalt

in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (2010), 23(1), 016003

Grain-size-dependent magnetic susceptibility of nanocrystalline terbium

in Journal of Applied Physics (2009), 105(7), 7011-7013

This paper reports grain-size-dependent magnetic susceptibility data on nanocrystalline bulk Tb. We find that at small grain size Curie–Weiss behavior is not present for temperatures up to about 80 K ... [more ▼]

This paper reports grain-size-dependent magnetic susceptibility data on nanocrystalline bulk Tb. We find that at small grain size Curie–Weiss behavior is not present for temperatures up to about 80 K above the transition temperature and that the helical antiferromagnetic phase is absent. Possible origins for the suppression of the helix phase in nanoscaled Tb are discussed in terms of internal magnetostatic fields and competing length scales (grain size versus wavelength of the helix phase). [less ▲]

Grain-boundary-induced spin disorder in nanocrystalline gadolinium

in Journal of Physics : Condensed Matter (2009), 21(15), 1560031-1560035

Based on experimental magnetic-field-dependent neutron scattering data, we have calculated the autocorrelation function of the spin misalignment of nanocrystalline 160gadolinium. The analysis suggests the ... [more ▼]

Based on experimental magnetic-field-dependent neutron scattering data, we have calculated the autocorrelation function of the spin misalignment of nanocrystalline 160gadolinium. The analysis suggests the existence of two characteristic length scales in the spin system: the smaller one is about 5 nm and is attributed to the defect cores of the grain boundaries, whereas the larger length scale is of the order of the average crystallite size D = 21 nm and presumably describes the response of the magnetization to the magnetic anisotropy field of the individual crystallites. [less ▲]

Magnetic domains and annealing-induced magnetic anisotropy in nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials

in Journal of Applied Physics (2008), 103(7), 7301-7303

The magnetic domains of nanocrystalline Fe84Nb6B10 annealed under static and rotating magnetic fields have been investigated by means of magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy in order to clarify ... [more ▼]

The magnetic domains of nanocrystalline Fe84Nb6B10 annealed under static and rotating magnetic fields have been investigated by means of magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy in order to clarify the origin of the dramatic magnetic softening brought about by rotating field annealing. The coercivity (Hc) values after static- and rotating-magnetic field annealings are 5.9 and 3.0  A/m, respectively. The MOKE image after static field annealing implies a highly coherent uniaxial anisotropy (Ku) in the sample whereas no sign of such a strong Ku is evident in the domain configuration after rotating field annealing. Our analytical solution of the random anisotropy model with additional Ku predicts that the fluctuating amplitude of the effective anisotropy (δK) in nanocrystalline Fe84Nb6B10 decreases from 20 to 11 J/m3 by removing Ku. The observed reduction of Hc may be attributed to this decrease in δK induced by rotating field annealing. [less ▲]

Magnetic-field-dependent small-angle neutron scattering on random anisotropy ferromagnets

in Reports on Progress in Physics (2008), 71(6), 0665011-06650137

We report on the recently developed technique of magnetic-field-dependent small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), with attention to bulk ferromagnets exhibiting random magnetic anisotropy. In these ... [more ▼]

We report on the recently developed technique of magnetic-field-dependent small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), with attention to bulk ferromagnets exhibiting random magnetic anisotropy. In these materials, the various magnetic anisotropy fields (magnetocrystalline, magnetoelastic, and/or magnetostatic in origin) perturb the perfectly parallel spin alignment of the idealized ferromagnetic state. By varying the applied magnetic field, one can control one of the ordering terms which competes with the above-mentioned perturbing fields. Experiments which explore the ensuing reaction of the magnetization will therefore provide information not only on the field-dependent spin structure but, importantly, on the underlying magnetic interaction terms. This strategy, which underlies conventional studies of hysteresis loops in magnetometry, is here combined with magnetic SANS. While magnetometry generally records only a single scalar quantity, the integral magnetization, SANS provides access to a vastly richer data set, the Fourier spectrum of the response of the spin system as a function of the magnitude and orientation of the wave vector. The required data-analysis procedures have recently been established, and experiments on a number of magnetic materials, mostly nanocrystalline or nanocomposite metals, have been reported. Here, we summarize the theory of magnetic-field-dependent SANS along with the underlying description of random anisotropy magnets by micromagnetic theory. We review experiments which have explored the magnetic interaction parameters, the value of the exchange-stiffness constant as well as the Fourier components of the magnetic anisotropy field and of the magnetostatic stray field. A model-independent approach, based on the experimental autocorrelation function of the spin misalignment, provides access to the characteristic length of the spin misalignment. The field dependence of this quantity is in quantitative agreement with the predictions of micromagnetic theory. Experiments on nanocomposite ferromagnets reveal that the jump of the magnetization at internal phase boundaries leads to a significant magnetostatic perturbing field, with an unusual 'clover-leaf' SANS pattern as the experimental signature. Furthermore, SANS experiments have been used to monitor the orientation of magnetic domains as well as the length scale of intradomain spin misalignment. [less ▲]