Stoner-Wohlfarth Theory

A Mechanism of Magnetic Hysteresis in

Heterogenous Alloys
Stoner E C and Wohlfarth E P (1948), Phil.
Trans. Roy. Soc. A240:599642

Prof. Bill Evenson, Utah Valley University

E.C. Stoner, c. 1934

E. C. Stoner, F.R.S.
and E. P. Wohlfarth (no
photo)

(Note:
F.R.S. = Fellow of the
Courtesy of AIP Emilio Segre
Visual Archives
Royal Society)

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 2

Stoner-Wohlfarth Motivation
How to account for very high
coercivities
Domain wall motion cannot explain
How to deal with small magnetic
particles (e.g. grains or imbedded
magnetic clusters in an alloy or
mixture)
Sufficiently small particles can only have
a single domain
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 3
Hysteresis loop

Mr = Remanence

Ms = Saturation
Magnetization

Hc = Coercivity

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 4

Domain Walls
Weiss proposed
the existence of
magnetic
domains in 1906-
1907
What elementary
evidence
suggests these
structures?

www.cms.tuwien.ac.at/Nanoscience/Magnetism/magnetic-
domains/magnetic_domains.htm

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 5

Stoner-Wohlfarth Problem

Single domain particles (too small for

domain walls)
Magnetization of a particle is uniform
and of constant magnitude
Magnetization of a particle responds
to external magnetic field and
anisotropy energy

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 6

Not Stoner Theory of Band
Ferromagnetism

The Stoner-Wohlfarth theory of

hysteresis does not refer to the
Stoner (or Stoner-Slater) theory of
band ferromagnetism or to such
terms as Stoner criterion, Stoner
excitations, etc.

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 7

Small magnetic particles

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 8

Why are we interested? (since 1948!)

Magnetic
nanostructures!
Can be single domain, uniform/constant magnetization,
no long-range order between particles, anisotropic.

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 9

Physics in SW Theory

Classical e & m (demagnetization fields,

dipole)
Weiss molecular field (exchange)
Ellipsoidal particles for shape anisotropy
Phenomenological magnetocrystalline
and strain anisotropies
Energy minimization

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 10

Outline of SW 1948 (1)

1. Introduction
review of existing theories of domain wall
motion (energy, process, effect of internal
stress variations, effect of changing domain
wall area especially due to nonmagnetic
inclusions)
critique of boundary movement theory
Alternative process: rotation of single
domains (small magnetic particles
superparamagnetism) roles of magneto-
crystalline, strain, and shape anisotropies
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 11
Outline of SW 1948 (2)

2. Field Dependence of Magnetization

Direction of a Uniformly Magnetized
Ellipsoid shape anisotropy

3. Computational Details
4. Prolate Spheroid Case
5. Oblate Spheroid and General
Ellipsoid
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 12
Outline of SW 1948 (3)

6. Conditions for Single Domain

Ellipsoidal Particles
7. Physical Implications
types of magnetic anisotropy
magnetocrystalline, strain, shape
ferromagnetic materials
metals & alloys containing FM impurities
powder magnets
high coercivity alloys
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 13
Units, Terminology, Notation
E.g.
Gaussian e-m units
1 Oe = 1000/4 A/m
Older terminology
interchange interaction energy =
exchange interaction energy
Older notation
I0 = magnetization vector

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 14

Mathematical Starting Point
Applied field energy

EH HI 0 cos
Anisotropy energy

EA (what should we use?)

Total energy

E EH EA (later, drop constants)

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 15

MAGNETIC ANISOTROPY
Shape anisotropy (dipole interaction)
Strain anisotropy
Magnetocrystalline anisotropy
Surface anisotropy
Interface anisotropy
Chemical ordering anisotropy
Spin-orbit interaction
Local structural anisotropy
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 16
Ellipsoidal particles

This gives shape

anisotropy from
demagnetizing fields
(to be discussed later
if there is time).

Spherical particles would

not have shape
anisotropy, but would
have magnetocrystalline
and strain anisotropy
leading to the same
physics with redefined
parameters.
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 17
Ellipsoidal particles

We will look at one ellipsoidal

particle, then average over a
random orientation of
particles.

The transverse
components of mag-
netization will cancel,
and the net magnetiza-
tion can be calculated as
the component along the
applied field direction.

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 18

Demagnetizing fields anisotropy

from Bertotti

B H 4 M , B 0, H M
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 19
Prolate and Oblate Spheroids

These show all the essential physics of the more general ellipsoid.

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 20

How do we get hysteresis?

I0
Easy Axis

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 21

SW Fig. 1 important notation

One can prove (SW outline

the proof in Sec. 5(ii))
that for ellipsoids of
revolution H, I0, and the
easy axis all lie in
a plane.

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 22

No hysteresis for oblate case

I0
Easy Axis
360o degenerate

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 23

Mathematical Starting Point - again
Applied field energy

EH HI 0 cos
Anisotropy energy

A 2 0
E I N cos N b sin
1 2
a
2 2

Total energy

E EH EA (later, drop constants)

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 24

Dimensionless variables

Total energy: normalize to N b N a I 0 and

2

drop constant term.

Dimensionless energy is then

14 cos 2 h cos
H
h
N b N a I 0
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 25
Energy surface for fixed

= 10o

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 26

Stationary points (max & min)

= 10o

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 27

 SW Fig. 2

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 28

 SW Fig. 3

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 29

Examples in Maple

(This would be easy to do with

Mathematica, also.)

[SW_Lectures_energy_surfaces.mw]

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 30

Calculating the Hysteresis Loop

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 31

 from Blundell
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 32
 SW Fig. 6

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 33

Examples in Maple

[SW_Lectures_hysteresis.mw]

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 34

Hsw and Hc

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 35

Hysteresis Loops: 0-45o and 45-90o
symmetries

from
Blundell
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 36
Hysteresis loop for = 90o

from
Jiles
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 37
Hysteresis loop for = 0o

from
Jiles
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 38
Hysteresis loop for = 45o

from
Jiles
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 39
Average over Orientations
2

IH 2 cos sin d
cos 0
2
I0
2 sin d
0
2
cos sin d
0

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 40

 SW Fig. 7

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 41

 Part 2
1. Conditions for large coercivity
2. Applied field
3. Various forms of magnetic
anisotropy
4. Conditions for single-domain
ellipsoidal particles
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 42
 Demagnetization
Coefficients: large Hc possible
H SW Fig. 8
m=a/b h
I0~103 N b N a I 0

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 43

Applied Field, H
Important! This is the total field
experienced by an individual particle.
It must include the field due to the
magnetizations of all the other
particles around the one we calculate!

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 44

Magnetic Anisotropy
Regardless of the origin of the
anisotropy energy, the basic physics
is approximately the same as we
have calculated for prolate spheroids.
This is explicitly true for
Shape anisotropy
Magnetocrystalline anisotropy (uniaxial)
Strain anisotropy

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 45

Demagnetizing Field Energy
Energetics of magnetic media are very
subtle.

H d M

H d is the demagnetizing field

from Blundell

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 46

Demagnetizing fields anisotropy

from Bertotti

B H 4 M , B 0, H M
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 47

How does H d depend on shape?

H d is extremely complicated for arbitrarily
shaped ferromagnets, but relatively
simple for ellipsoidal ones.
H di N ij M j
j
And in principal axis coordinate system
for the ellipsoid,

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 48

Ellipsoids
Na 0 0

N 0 Nb 0
0
0 Nc
Tr N N a N b N c 4
(Gaussian units)
Tr N 1 (SI units)

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 49

Examples
Sphere

Na Nb Nc 43 , H d 43 M
Long cylindrical rod

N a Nb 2 , Nc 0
Flat plate
N a Nb 0 , N c 4

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 50

Ferromagnet of Arbitrary Shape

Ed 2 M H d d
1

Etot EZeeman Ed
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 51
Ellipsoids (again)
General
1
2 0
Ed I Na cos x Nb cos y Nc cos z
2 2 2 2

Prolate spheroid

Ed 12 I 02 N a cos 2 (90 ) N b cos 2 90 N c cos 2
Ed 12 I 02 N a sin 2
N c cos 2

Ed 12 I 02 N a N c
14 I 02 N c N a cos 2
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 52
Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy
Uniaxial case is approximately the same
mathematics as prolate spheroid. E.g.
hexagonal cobalt:

E A K sin 12 K 12 K cos 2
2

For spherical, single domain

HI 0 particles of Co with easy
hmc axes oriented at random,
2K coercivities ~2900 Oe. are
possible.
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 53
Strain Anisotropy
Uniaxial strain again, approximately the
same mathematics as prolate spheroid. E.g.
magnetostriction coefficient , uniform
tension :

E A sin 34 34 cos 2
3
2
2

HI 0
h
3
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 54
Magnitudes of Anisotropies
Prolate spheroids of Fe (m = a/b)
shape > mc for m > 1.05
shape > for m > 1.08
Prolate spheroids of Ni
shape > mc for m > 1.09
> shape for all m (large , small I0)
Prolate spheroids of Co
shape > mc for m > 3
shape > for m > 1.08
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 55
Conditions for Single Domain
Ellipsoidal Particles

Number of atoms must be

large enough for ferromagnetic order
within the particle
small enough so that domain boundary
formation is not energetically possible

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 56

Domain Walls (Bloch walls)
Energies
Exchange energy: costs energy to rotate
neighboring
spins
2JS1 S 2 2JS 2 cos
Rotation of N spins through total angle ,
so / N, requires energy per unit area
2
ex JS 2
2
.
Na
Anisotropy energy
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 57
Domain Walls (2)
Anisotropy energy:
magnetocrystalline
easy axis vs. hard axis
(from spin-orbit interaction and partial
quenching of angular momentum)
shape
demagnetizing energy
It costs energy to rotate out of the easy
direction: say, E K sin 2 .
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 58
Domain Walls (3)
Anisotropy energy
Taking E K sin2 , for example,
NKa 2
NKa
an , so BW JS 2
2
.
2 Na 2

Then we minimize energy to find

N S 2J Ka 3 , Na S 2J Ka,

BW S 2JK a.
June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 59
Conditions for Single Domain
Ellipsoidal Particles (2)
Demagnetizing field energy
E D N I
1
2
2
a 0

Uniform magnetization if ED < Ewall

Fe: 105 106 atoms

Ni: 107 1011 atoms

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 60

Thanks

Friends at Uni-Konstanz, where this

work was first carried out some of
this group are now at TU-Chemnitz

Prof. Manfred Albrecht for invitation,

hospitality and support

June 2010 TU-Chemnitz 61