Beyond first-order finite element schemes in micromagnetics

Magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic materials is ruled by the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation (LLG). Reliable schemes must conserve the magnetization norm, which is a nonconvex constraint, and be energy-decreasing unless there is pumping. Some of the authors previously devised a convergent finite element scheme that, by choice of an appropriate test space - the tangent plane to the magnetization - reduces to a linear problem at each time step. The scheme was however first-order in time. We claim it is not an intrinsic limitation, and the same approach can lead to efficient micromagnetic simulation. We show how the scheme order can be increased, and the nonlocal (magnetostatic) interactions be tackled in logarithmic time, by the fast multipole method or the non-uniform fast Fourier transform. Our implementation is called feeLLGood. A test-case of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is presented, then another one relevant to spin-transfer effects (the spin-torque oscillator). (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.