Dynamic hysteresis from zigzag domain walls: Discrete model and Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract

We investigate dynamic hysteresis in ferromagnetic thin films with zigzag domain walls. We introduce a discrete model describing the motion of a wall in a disordered ferromagnet with in-plane magnetization, driven by an external magnetic field, considering the effects of dipolar interactions and anisotropy. We analyze the effects of external field frequency and temperature on the coercive field by Monte Carlo simulations, and find a good agreement with the experimental data reported in literature for Fe/GaAs films. This implies that dynamic hysteresis in this case can be explained by a single propagating domain wall model without invoking domain nucleation. © 2007 The American Physical Society.