Phys. Rev. Lett. Phys. Rev. A Phys. Rev. B Phys. Rev. C Phys. Rev. D Phys. Rev. E Phys. Rev. ST AB Rev. Mod. Phys. Volume: Page/Article:

Phys. Rev. B 55, 12556–12560 (1997)

[Issue 18 – May 1997 ]

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Thin ferromagnetic films with competing surfaces: A Monte Carlo study of the classical Heisenberg model

Hyunbum Jang and Malcolm J. Grimson

Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Monte Carlo simulations have been performed for different values of perpendicular anisotropy lambda in a thin ferromagnetic Heisenberg film. In the model competing surface fields with the same magnitude but opposite direction have been used. In the Heisenberg limit, lambda -->0, no spontaneous magnetization of the film is observed. Whereas, in the Ising limit, lambda --> [infinity] , nonzero magnetization of the film is observed below a critical temperature T_c and a degeneracy in the magnetization profiles exists between states of positive and negative total magnetization at low temperatures. The results of magnetic relaxation studies indicate that the magnetization decays exponentially with a relaxation time that increases with lambda and decreases with temperature.

©1997 The American Physical Society

URL: http://publish.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v55/p12556
PACS: 75.70.-i, 75.40.Mg, 75.10.Hk, 75.40.Cx

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