Dynamic micromagnetic simulation of the configurational anisotropy of nanoelements

A finite element method was used to simulate the magnetization reversal of nanostructured Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ elements with zero anisotropy. The numerical results show a strong influence of the size of the cubic and platelet shaped (square and triangular) elements on the switching field. The calculated switching fields range from μ ₀H=0.002 to 0.6 T. Differences of the demagnetizing field which arise when the field is applied in different directions lead to configurational anisotropy effects. Platelet shaped elements show identical switching behavior in different directions within the platelet plane. Inhomogeneous magnetization reversal processes become dominant with increasing element size ⩾100 nm and strongly influence the switching behavior