Intrinsic mechanism of nonlinear damping in magnetization reversal

The process of magnetization reversal in a fine ferromagnetic grain with a strong uniaxial anisotropy has been simulated for the case of an instantaneously applied reversal magnetic field. The "quasi" single-domain grain was considered as a system of 64 or 1000 subcubes coupled by exchange and dipole-dipole interactions. The system of Landau-Lifshitz equations was numerically solved without any phenomenological damping terms. The dynamic process is characterized by a rapid magnetization reversal accompanied by a decrease in the average magnetization. The system exhibits a nonlinear excitation of nonuniform magnetic oscillations (spin waves) driven by the uniform mode. We found limitations on magnetization reversal for small grain size and large applied field magnitude. The damping parameter has been obtained for small magnetization oscillations. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)66008-5].