Effect of crystalline disorder on magnetic switching in small magnetic cells

TL;DR

This paper investigates how crystalline disorder affects magnetic switching in small magnetic cells, combining theoretical models and simulations to understand the role of anisotropy fluctuations.

Contribution

It introduces a disordered Stoner-Wohlfarth model and demonstrates how anisotropy fluctuations influence switching behavior, validated by micromagnetic simulations.

Findings

Fluctuations in anisotropy are governed by a single dimensionless parameter.

Theoretical predictions align well with simulation results.

Disorder significantly impacts switching field variability.

Abstract

I present a study of the influence of disorder in thin magnetic films on the switching behavior of small magnetic cells of well defined shape and size. The disorder considered arises from randomly oriented crystalline grains of different shape, size, and crystalline orientation which gives rise to locally fluctuating intrinsic anisotropy directions and strengths. The study comprises a theoretical investigation of a disordered Stoner Wohlfarth model, as well as micromagnetic simulations. I show that the fluctuations in the total anisotropy and therefore in the switching fields are controlled by a single dimensionless parameter. The theoretical findings are well confirmed by micromagnetic simulations of many different samples