The Ising model and real magnetic materials

The factors that make certain magnetic materials behave similarly to corresponding Ising models are reviewed. Examples of extensively studied materials include Dy(C2H5SO4)(3).9H(2)) (DyES), Dy3Al5O12 (DyAlG), DyPO4, Dy2Ti2O7, LiTbF4, K2CoF4, and Rb2CoF4. Various comparisons between theory and experiment for these materials are examined. The agreement is found to be generally very good, even when there are clear differences between the ideal Ising model and the real materials. In a number of experiments behavior has been observed that requires extensions of the usual Ising model. These include the effects of long range magnetic dipole interactions, competing interaction effects in field-induced phase transitions, induced staggered field effects and frustration effects, and dynamic effects. The results show that the Ising model and real magnetic materials have provided an unusually rich and productive field for the interaction between theory and experiment over the past 40 years.