Abstract
Magnetization processes in arrays of ferromagnetic, nanometer-scale iron particles were investigated experimentally and by numerical simulations. The arrays typically consisted of several hundred, pillar-shaped particles (diameter about 13 nm) in square or triangular arrangement. The particles were grown directly onto a thin soft-magnetic Permalloy film to enhance their interactions. A modified boundary-element method was developed to calculate the magnetization pattern of the particle-Permalloy heterostructures with a proper discretization of the system. The calculated magnetic behavior of the Permalloy film, the particles, as well as the coupled heterostructure for applied fields are compared to the experimental magnetization curves. The complex magnetic behavior observed in these heterostructures (e.g., the formation of domain walls within the Permalloy due to the particle magnetization) was also found numerically. These interaction effects may become relevant for ever smaller and more dense magnetic storage media.
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