Hysteresis and the dynamic phase transition in thin ferromagnetic films

Hysteresis and the non-equilibrium dynamic phase transition in thin magnetic films subject to an oscillatory external field have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation. The model under investigation is a classical Heisenberg spin system with a bilinear exchange anisotropy in a planar thin film geometry with competing surface fields. The film exhibits a non-equilibrium phase transition between dynamically ordered and dynamically disordered phases characterized by a critical temperature Tcd, whose location of is determined by the amplitude H0 and frequency w of the applied oscillatory field. In the presence of competing surface fields the critical temperature of the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition for the film is suppressed from the bulk system value, Tc, to the interface localization-delocalization temperature Tci. The simulations show that in general Tcd < Tci for the model film. The profile of the time-dependent layer magnetization across the film shows that the dynamically ordered and dynamically disordered phases coexist within the film for T < Tcd. In the presence of competing surface fields, the dynamically ordered phase is localized at one surface of the film.Comment: PDF file, 21 pages including 8 figure pages; added references,typos added; to be published in PR

Exchange anisotropy and the dynamic phase transition in thin ferromagnetic Heisenberg films

Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to investigate the dependence of the dynamic phase behavior on the bilinear exchange anisotropy of a classical Heisenberg spin system. The system under consideration is a planar thin ferromagnetic film with competing surface fields subject to a pulsed oscillatory external field. The results show that the films exhibit a single discontinuous dynamic phase transition (DPT) as a function of the anisotropy of the bilinear exchange interaction in the Hamiltonian. Furthermore there is no evidence of stochastic resonance (SR) associated with the DPT. These results are in marked contrast to the continuous DPT observed in the same system as a function of temperature and applied field strength for a fixed bilinear exchange anisotropy.Comment: 11 pages including 3 figure pages; submitted to PR

Dynamic phase transitions in thin ferromagnetic films

Monte Carlo simulations have been used to investigate the dynamic phase behavior of a classical Heisenberg spin system with a bilinear exchange anisotropy in a planar thin film geometry. Studies of the field amplitude, frequency and temperature dependence show dynamic phase transitions in films subject to a pulsed oscillatory external field. Thin films with competing surface fields show separate and distinct dynamic phase transitions for the bulk and surface layers of the film. Between the two transitions, a mixed state with coexisting dynamically ordered and dynamically disordered phases is observed in the film. In contrast, the free film with no surface fields shows a single dynamic phase transition as in a bulk system.Comment: 25 pages including figures in pdf format, to be published in PR

Magneto-Electric Effect for Multiferroic Heterostructures by Monte Carlo Simulation

Magneto-electric effect in a multiferroic heterostructure thin film has been investigated through the use of Monte Carlo simulations. The classical anisotropic Heisenberg model used consists of the interaction energy, the uniaxial anisotropic energy, and the Zeeman energy. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the dynamic response of polarization is driven by an external magnetic field, when there is a linear magneto-electric coupling between the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric components