Magnetic Hysteresis and Instabilities
A long-standing puzzle in materials science is understanding the origins of magnetic hysteresis in ferromagnetic materials. These materials have an intrinsic magnetic dipole that can be reversed under an applied magnetic field, and this magnetization reversal traces out a characteristic hysteresis loop. Reducing the width of this loop is critical to develop spintronic and energy conversion devices. Currently, a widely accepted strategy to lower the hysteresis in cubic ferromagnetic alloys is based on changing its chemical composition to reduce the magnitude of a material constant, called the anisotropy constant. While this strategy has resulted in soft magnetic alloys it does not explain the complete story of coercivity.