Mean field model for ferromagnetic nanowire arrays based on a mechanical analogy

Abstract

Nanowire arrays have typical distributions of coercive and interaction fields, as revealed in experiments by means of the first-order reversal curve (FORC) method. In an axial applied field, each nanowire is subjected to a state dependent interaction field created by all wires from the array, which strongly influences the switching fields. A mean field model based on Preisach–Krasnosel’skii–Pokrovskii (PKP) hysterons is able to explain the interplay between interactions and critical fields in nanowire arrays and the subtle way in which switching fields are emphasized in FORC diagrams.