Correlation between domain behavior and magnetic properties of materials

Abstract

<p>The correlation of materials' magnetic properties on differing length scales, atomic, nanoscale, microscale, and bulk, has long been a difficult puzzle in both modeling and experiment. In the last couple of decades, more advanced and intuitive methods for imaging of domain structures in both thin films and relatively large samples have become invaluable tools to the resolution of this problem. This work addresses one of the more recent microscopy advancements, magnetic force microscopy, and recent work done here at Ames Lab on such an instrument. Experiments with varying applied field, temperature, stress, and microstructures have demonstrated a solid connection between important magnetic properties such as coercivity, anisotropy, saturation field, and Curie temperature and a material's microscopic domain structure. An overview of analysis involved and conclusions drawn is presented.</p>