DC and AC magnetization processes in soft magnetic materials

The basic phenomenology of the magnetization process in soft magnetic materials is briefly outlined in the light of established physical modelling and current understanding of the role played in it by intrinsic and structural material properties. The microscopic mechanisms underlying quasi-static and dynamic magnetic behaviors and the way they unfold in different materials and upon different treatments are discussed. It is stressed that the enormous complexity of the magnetization process, while hampering rigorous micromagnetic approaches in practical materials, can be reasonably handled through semi-empirical and phenomenological models, providing excellent predicting capabilities for well-defined properties and processes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.