Investigation of magnetization reversal and domain structures in perpendicular synthetic antiferromagnets by first-order reversal curves and magneto-optical Kerr effect

Perpendicular synthetic-antiferromagnet(p-SAF) has broad applications in spin-transfer-torque magnetic random access memory and magnetic sensors. In this study, the p-SAF films consisting of (Co/Ni)3]/Ir(tIr)/[(Ni/Co)3are fabricated by magnetron sputtering technology. We study the domain structure and switching field distribution in p-SAF by changing the thickness of the infrared space layer. The strongest exchange coupling field(Hex) is observed when the thickness of Ir layer(tIr) is 0.7 nm and becoming weak according to the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida-type coupling at 1.05 nm,2.1 nm, 4.55 nm, and 4.9 nm in sequence. Furthermore, the domain switching process between the upper Co/Ni stack and the bottom Co/Ni stack is different because of the antiferromagnet coupling. Compared with ferromagnet coupling films, the antiferromagnet samples possess three irreversible reversal regions in the first-order reversal curve distribution.With tIrincreasing, these irreversible reversal regions become denser and smaller. The results from this study will help us understand the details of the magnetization reversal process in the p-SAF.

Discrete Methods Based on First Order Reversal Curves to Identify Preisach Model of Smart Materials

Preisach model is widely used in modeling of smart materials. Although first order reversal curves （FORCs） have often found applications in the fields of physics and geology, they are able to serve to identify Preisach model. In order to clarify the relationship between the Preisach model and the first order reversal curves, this paper is directed towards： （1） giving the reason a first order reversal curve is introduced; （2） presenting, for identifying Preisach model, two discrete methods, which are analytically based on first order reversal curves. Herein also is indicated the solution＇s uniqueness of these two identifying methods. At last, the validity of these two methods is verified by simulating a real smart actuator both methods have been applied to.

First-order reversal curves of magnetic recording tapes

The interaction and its variation between magnetic grains in two kinds of magnetic recording tapes are investigated by first-order reversal curves （FORC） and the 5M method. The composition and microstructure of the samples are characterised by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The FORC diagram can provide more accurate information of the interaction and its variation, but the 5M curves cannot. The positive interaction field and the large variation of the interaction field have opposite effects on the δM curve.

Innovative roadside design curve of lateral clearance： Roadway reverse horizontal curves

This paper presents a proposed concept of a spiraled roadside curve for determining the required lateral clearance that satisfies sight distance needs on a roadway reverse hori- zontal curve. The spiraled roadside curve was evaluated in the context of roadway plan view. The characteristics of its corresponding lateral offsets were analyzed. It was found that the ratio of the radii for the two reversing circular curves was the major factor that impacted the ratio of the required offset to the maximum offset of a circular curve. A single design chart and a design table were developed. The required offsets at alignment reversing sections were far less than those recommended by the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials （AASHTO） and those required at the approach and departure sections of a roadway simple curve. At the common point of the two reversing circular curves having a radius ratio R2/R1 ranging from 0.5 to 2, the required offsets were approximately 34%-66% of the maximum offsets recommended by AASHTO and approximately 41%-79% of those required in the case of a simple curve. The engi- neering implications of the proposed spiraled roadside curve are multifold： （a） it can be designed in a way similar to traditional roadway design, （b） it avoided the application of numerous design charts and extensive computations, （c） it can be easily staked on the field, （d） it not only greatly improved the A_ASHTO approximate approach, but also improved roadway design consistency.

Fabrication of CoFe_2O_4 ferrite nanowire arrays in porous silicon template and their local magnetic properties

CoFe_2O_4 ferrite nanowire arrays are fabricated in porous silicon templates. The porous silicon templates are prepared via metal-assisted chemical etching with gold（Au） nanoparticles as the catalyst. Subsequently, CoFe_2O_4 ferrite nanowires are successfully synthesized into porous silicon templates by the sol–gel method. The magnetic hysteresis loop of nanowire array shows an isotropic feature of magnetic properties. The coercivity and squareness ratio（M_r/M_s） of ensemble nanowires are found to be 630 Oe（1 Oe = 79.5775 A·m^（-1） and 0.4 respectively. However, the first-order reversal curve（FORC） is adopted to reveal the probability density function of local magnetostatic properties（i.e., interwire interaction field and coercivity）. The FORC diagram shows an obvious distribution feature for interaction field and coercivity. The local coercivity with a value of about 1000 Oe is found to have the highest probability.

Magnetic properties of misch-metal partially substituted Nd–Fe–B magnets sintered by dual alloy method

The misch-metal （MM） partially substituted Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets were fabricated by the dual alloy method, and the crystal structure, microstructure, and magnetic properties were analyzed comprehensively. X-ray diffraction （XRD） reveals that the increasing content of the MM has an inconsiderable effect on the crystallographic alignment of the magnets. Grains of the two main phases are uniformly distributed, and slightly deteriorate on the grain boundary. Due to the diffusion between the adjacent grains, the MM substituted Nd-Fe-B magnets contain three types of components with different Ce/La concentrations. Moreover, the first-order reversal curve （FORC） diagram is introduced to analyze the magnetization reversal process, coercivity mechanism, and distribution of reversal field in magnetic samples. The analysis indicates that there are two major reversal components, corresponding to the two different main phases. The domain nucleation and growth are determined to be the leading mechanism in controlling the magnetization reversal processes of the magnets sintered by the dual alloy method.

Species Abundance in a Forest Community in South China：A Case of Poisson Lognormal Distribution

Case studies on Poisson lognormal distribution of species abundance have been rare, especially in forest communities. We propose a numerical method to fit the Poisson lognormal to the species abundance data at an evergreen mixed forest in the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, South China. Plants in the tree, shrub and herb layers in 25 quadrats of 20 m× 20 m, 5 m× 5 m, and 1 m× 1 m were surveyed. Results indicated that: (i) for each layer, the observed species abundance with a similarly small median, mode, and a variance larger than the mean was reverse J-shaped and followed well the zero-truncated Poisson lognormal; (ii) the coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis of abundance, and two Poisson lognormal parameters (& and μ) for shrub layer were closer to those for the herb layer than those for the tree layer; and (iii) from the tree to the shrub to the herb layer, the α and the coefficient of variation decreased, whereas diversity increased. We suggest that: (i) the species abundance distributions in the three layers reflects the overall community characteristics; (ii) the Poisson lognormal can describe the species abundance distribution in diverse communities with a few abundant species but many rare species; and (iii) 1/α should be an alternative measure of diversity.

Exchange interaction and demagnetization process of high-abundance rare-earth magnets sintered using dual alloy method

The 2:14:1-type rare-earth(RE)-Fe-B permanent magnets prepared by the dual alloy method have been found to possess much superior magnetic properties to those prepared by the single alloy method,providing an appealing route to promote the utilization of high-abundance RE elements Ce and La and balance the use of the RE source.However,the relationship between magnetic interactions among different 2:14:1 main phases and superior magnetic properties is still unclear.In this study,we investigated the magnetic interactions and reversal field distribution in these magnets using first-order reversal curve(FORC)images.The FORC images showed that(Nd,Pr)27.8(La,Ce)2.7FebalM1.4B1.0(S-9)and(Nd,Pr)19.5(La,Ce)11.0FebalM1.4B1.0(S-36)have the characteristics of multiple main phases.The reverse magnetic fields corresponding to the soft and hard main phases,as well as the associated exchange coupling,were highly dependent on the La Ce content.The higher the La Ce content,the weaker the exchange coupling and the more asynchronous the demagnetization process.In addition,the FORC images indicated that the magnetization reversal process also varies with La Ce content,where the nucleation and propagation of reversed domains dominant in the S-9 magnet,while the domain propagation in the S-36 magnet is considerably suppressed.Additional micromagnetic simulations also revealed that the coercivity and exchange coupling of multi-main-phase magnets decrease with increasing La Ce content,correlating well with the experimental results.These findings may not only contribute to a better understanding of the complex magnetic interactions between the soft and hard phases and how they affect macroscopic magnetic properties but also help in improving the magnetic performance of the RE-Fe-B magnets with high La Ce content.

Magnetization reversal behavior and first-order reversal curve diagrams in high-coercivity Zr-doped α-Fe/Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B nanocomposite alloys

In the present work,the magnetization reversal behavior for the melt spinning(Nd_(0.8)Ce_(0.2))_(2)Fe_(12)Co_(2-x)Zr_(x)B(x=0,0.5)permanent alloys with high coercivity was investigated by analyzing the hysteresis curves and the recoil loops.Compared to the Zr-free alloy,the Zr-doped sample obtains higher magnetic properties:coercivity of H_(cj)=650.5 kA·m^(-1),squareness of H_(k)/H_(cj)=0.76 and maximum energy product of(BH)_(max)=131.0 kJ·m^(-3).The first-order reversal curves(FORCs)analysis was taken to identify optimal conditions of exchange coupling for the Zr-free and Zr-doped alloys.The coercivity mechanism of theα-Fe/Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B nanocomposite alloys was analyzed by the angular dependence of the coercive field as measured for the Zr-doped sample.The results show that the magnetic reverse process of the Zr-doped sample can be explained by the pinning model.