Exchange-driven Collective Behavior in a 3D Array of Nanoparticles

TL;DR

This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to explore the complex magnetic behaviors and phase transitions in a 3D array of nanoparticles with exchange interactions and anisotropy, revealing glassy states and critical slowing-down phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed simulation model of nanoparticle ensembles showing exchange-driven transitions and glassy behavior, with insights into the critical dynamics and cluster formation.

Findings

Identification of a Curie-Weiss-like transition at T-C/J ~ 1.5

Observation of a non-Arrhenius dispersive peak at T-b(omega)

Detection of a critical slowing-down at T-g with an exponent ~1.65

Abstract

A Monte Carlo simulation is performed in a cubic lattice of interacting identical Stoner-Woldfarth nanoparticles. The model system is a randomly-anisotropic Heisenberg spin system with a small anisotropy-to-exchange ratio D/J = 3.5. The dc susceptibility, chi(dc)(T), shows a Curie-Weiss-like transition at a temperature T-C/J approximate to 1.5, followed by a low-temperature glassy behavior manifested by cusps in both the zero-field-cooled and the field-cooled curves. The ac susceptibility, chi(ac) (T, omega), at various frequencies, w, shows that with decreasing temperature, a non-Arrhenius dispersive peak occurs at T-b(omega), succeeded by another dispersionless peak at T-g/J approximate to 1.20 in the in-phase part, chi'(T, omega), of chi (T, omega) while the out-of-phase part, chi '' (T, omega), shows only one peak. A dynamic scaling analysis shows that the system exhibits a critical slowing-down at T-g with a quite small exponent zv approximate to 1.65. However, no universal collapse is seen for the fully-scaled data of chi '' (T, omega). These observed behaviors are interpreted under the droplet-like hypothesis that the formation and development of exchange-induced correlated clusters drive ensembles of nanoparticles undergoing a transition from a paramagnetic order to a short-range order (SRO) at T-C, followed by a transition at T-g to the magnetic state in which a magnetic glassy order and a magnetic quasi-long-range order (QLRO) coexist. In addition, our simulation shows that the onset of the latter transition, which is peculiarly manifested by the dispersionless peak, occurs only for those ensembles possessing the anisotropy strength in the region 1.0 <= D/J <= 5.0.....