Implementation of the "hyperdynamics of infrequent events" method for acceleration of thermal switching dynamics of magnetic moments

For acceleration of the calculations of thermal magnetic switching, we report the use of the Voter method, recently proposed in chemical physics (also called "hyperdynamics of the infrequent events"). The method consists of modification of the magnetic potential so that the transition state remains unchanged. We have found that the method correctly describes the mean first passage time even in the case of small damping (precessional case) and for an oblique angle between the anisotropy and the field directions. Due to the costly evaluation of the lowest energy eigenvalue, the actual acceleration depends on its fast computation. In the current implementation, it is limited to intermediate time scale and to small system size

Moving toward an atomistic reader model

With the move to recording densities up to and beyond 1 Tb/in/sup 2/, the size of read elements is continually reducing as a requirement of the scaling process. The expectation is for read elements containing magnetic films as thin as 1.5 nm, in which finite size effects, and factors such as interface mixing might be expected to become of increasing importance. Here, we review the limitations of the current (micromagnetic) approach to the theoretical modeling of thin films and develop an atomistic multiscale model capable of investigating the magnetic properties at the atomic level. Finite-size effects are found to be significant, suggesting the need for models beyond the micromagnetic approach to support the development of future read sensors

Spin-lattice dynamics model with angular momentum transfer for canonical and microcanonical ensembles

A unified model of molecular and atomistic spin dynamics is presented enabling simulations both in microcanonical and canonical ensembles without the necessity of additional phenomenological spin damping. Transfer of energy and angular momentum between the lattice and the spin systems is achieved by a phenomenological coupling term representing the spin-orbit interaction. The characteristic spectra of the spin and phonon systems are analyzed for different coupling strength and temperatures. The spin spectral density shows magnon modes together with the uncorrelated noise induced by the coupling to the lattice. The effective damping parameter is investigated showing an increase with both coupling strength and temperature. The model paves the way to understanding magnetic relaxation processes beyond the phenomenological approach of the Gilbert damping and the dynamics of the energy transfer between lattice and spins