Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mphil-in-micro-and-nanotechnology-enterprise-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/paper-2/section-a-ii/15/i/solution
Past exam of the MPhil in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise course of the University of Cambridge 2022 Paper 2 Section A(ii) 15 i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
For a uniformly magnetized bilayer that relaxes to one of its easy directions after a saturating in-plane field, the in-plane remanent component isIt is therefore approximately zero when the easy axis is perpendicular at the thin-Co end, and increases towards as the easy axis rotates into the plane. The graph should show an increasing crossover between about and , but the source does not specify its exact shape. A straight line is not a consequence of the two endpoint orientations.
The trend reflects competition between interface-driven perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and volume or demagnetizing contributions favouring in-plane magnetization. An illustrative effective anisotropy is , with sign convention chosen so positive favours the normal. A continuous rotation can require higher-order anisotropy terms; the simple sign change alone need not produce a smooth canting interval.
The relation assumes a well-defined remanent direction and no complete cancellation by domains. A vibrating-sample magnetometer measures total moment: if the result is reported without dividing by magnetic volume, the moment per area additionally scales as .
Illustrative remanence crossover and independent two-layer magnetic switching
. The remanence interpolation is a chosen schematic, not fitted data. The hysteresis loop assumes equal magnetic moments, distinct coercivities and independent abrupt reversal. Details. New to topics? Read the docs here!
