Theoretical studies on switching of magnetisation in thin film

TL;DR

This paper investigates magnetisation switching in thin ferromagnetic films using models like Ising and Blume-Capel, employing Monte Carlo simulations to analyze effects of disorder, anisotropy, and surface-bulk dynamics on metastable lifetimes.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive simulation-based analysis of magnetisation switching, verifying classical nucleation theories and exploring surface effects, disorder, and spin state influences in thin film models.

Findings

Magnetisation switching is faster with disorder modeled by a quenched random field.

Surface reversal time differs from bulk reversal time depending on interfacial interactions.

Switching time depends on the number of accessible spin states and follows proposed scaling relations.

Abstract

In the present chapter, we focus on the switching of magnetisation, or the metastable lifetime of a ferromagnetic system. In this regard, particularly the Ising model and the Blume-Capel model, have been simulated in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field by the Monte-Carlo simulation technique based on the Metropolis algorithm. Magnetisation switching is found to be faster in the presence of disorder, modelled here by a quenched random field. The strength of the random field is observed to play a similar role to that played by temperature. Becker-D\"oring theory of classical nucleation (originally proposed for the spin-1/2 Ising system) has been verified in the random field Ising model. However, a stronger random field affects the nucleation regime. In a cubic Ising lattice, surface reversal time is found to be different from the bulk reversal time. That distinct behaviour of the surface in contrast to the bulk has been studied here by introducing a relative interfacial interaction strength ($R$). Depending on $R$, temperature, and applied field, a competitive switching of magnetisation of surface and bulk is noticed. The effect of anisotropy ($D$) on the metastable lifetime has been investigated. We report a linear dependency of the mean macroscopic reversal time on a suitably defined microscopic reversal time. The saturated magnetisation $M_f$, after the reversal, is noticed to be strongly dependent on $D$. $M_f$, $D$, and $h$ (field) are found to follow a proposed scaling relation. Finally, Becker-D\"oring theory as well as Avrami's law are verified in spin-$s$ Ising and Blume-Capel models. The switching time depends on the number of accessible spin states.