The switching criterion in perpendicular magnetic recording

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the effect of the "switching criterion", the level at which self-consistency is assumed in calculations on the perpendicular magnetic recording process. It can be proven that in a perpendicular recording configuration with an ideal keeper layer and a recording layer with a rectangular hysteresis loop, the switching criterion in stand-still recording situations is immaterial, because self-consistency is reached at all depth levels simultaneously. If either the keeper layer is absent, or the recording layer\´s hysteresis loop is sheared, it is shown that the higher the level at which self-consistency is assumed, the sharper the stand-still recorded transitions will be.