1

The degeneration of the magnetic domain walls in ferro- and

ferrimagnets with arbitrary crystallographic class

B. M. Tanygin

Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University, Radiophysics Faculty, Glushkov av.2,

build.5, Kyiv, Ukraine, 01022

E-mail: b.m.tanygin@gmail.com

Abstract. Degeneration of the magnetic plain domain walls in ferro- and ferrimagnets has

been considered. Results are obtained for arbitrary crystal system and any type of the

domain wall except 0 degree walls (magnetization inhomogeneities). These results can be

considered as an indirect systematization of the Bloch lines and points which are

principally possible in magnetic materials.

PACS: 61.50 Ah, 75.60 Ch

Please, cite original work as:

B.M. Tanygin and O.V. Tychko,
Magnetic symmetry of the plain domain walls in ferro- and ferrimagnets,
Physica B: Condensed Matter, Volume 404, Issue 21 (2009) Pages 4018-4022.

e-mail: b.m.tanygin@gmail.com
Web: http://sites.google.com/site/btanygin/
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1. Introduction

The investigation of static and dynamic properties [1,2] of domain walls (DWs) in magnetically

ordered media is a considerable interest for the physical understanding of medium behavior and it is also

important for applications. For sequential examination of these properties it is necessary to take into

account a magnetic symmetry [3,4] of the media.

The complete symmetry classification of plane (i.e. DW with r0 >> δ where r0 is a DW radius of

curvature [5]) 180 degree DWs (1800 DWs) in magnetically ordered crystals [5] and similar classification

of these DWs with Bloch lines in ferromagnets and ferrites [6] where carried out earlier. The plane DWs

with width δ [1,7] exceeding the characteristic size a of a unit magnetic cell where considered. Properties

of these DWs in ferro- and ferrimagnets are described by a density of magnetic moment M [8]. Their

symmetry can be characterized with use of magnetic symmetry classes [9-12] of a crystal with DW [5].

The symmetry classification has been extended to the case of the 0° DWs [13] (magnetization

inhomogeneities [14]).

A determination of a DW magnetic symmetry allows to find the degeneration [6, 13] for the DW.

The corresponding degeneracy is the total number of possible magnetization distributions (i.e. DWs

states) which are principally possible in the given crystal. The degeneracy defines the totality of all Bloch

lines and Bloch points which are possible in such DW [6]. The purpose of this work is a building of tables

of degeneracy for all possible [1] (with exception of the 0° or 360° DWs) plane DWs in all ferro- and

ferrimagnetic crystals.
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2. Domain wall degeneracy

Crystal magnetic ordering is accompanied by phase transition and change of crystal magnetic

symmetry [3]. In magnetically ordered crystal q k multiply degenerate 2α DWs with fixed 2α (DW

type) can be realized [6, 13], where q k = ord (G P ) /ord (G k ) . Functions ord (G P ) and ord (G k ) give an order

[11] of a point group of magnetic symmetry of the crystal paramagnetic phase [9,10] and 2α DW in this

crystal respectively. These 2α DWs have the same energy but different structures (magnetization

distribution, plane orientation, DW width, etc.). The minimum value of qk is 2 in accordance with the

invariance of energy for time reversal operation R.

At Gk expansion for GP the lost transformations (members of adjacent classes) g l [6,12]

interrelate the above-mentioned qk multiply degenerate 2α DWs (i.e. g l operation onto one of such 2α

DWs converts it into another).

Degeneracy qk of 2α DW can be written in the form qk = qB q′k ( qk′ ≤ qk ), where

q′k = ord (GB ) /ord (Gk ) is the quantity of equal energy 2α DWs with fixed boundary conditions,

q B = ord (GP ) /ord (GB ) is the quantity of possible boundary conditions of 2α DW in defined crystal of

certain symmetry. Here ord (G B ) is an order of the point group of the maximum magnetic symmetry of

2α DW in given crystal at the given boundary conditions. It also has been named as a symmetry of

boundary conditions [6].

Degeneracy qk of 180° and 2α DWs in crystals of higher, medium and lower symmetry

categories (in conformity with terminology of [11]) are presented in Appendix. Signs “-“ in certain

columns or absence of some rows (with some k) in appendix tables mean an absence of 2α DWs of such

magnetic symmetry classes in crystals of certain or all (mentioned in corresponding tables)

crystallographic classes.

The degeneracy of the DWs in the crystals of lower symmetry (the corresponding 180° DWs

magnetic symmetry classes are determined by the numbers 1 ≤ k ≤ 23 as long as others magnetic

symmetry classes have the n-fold symmetry axes with n>2) have not divisor 3 as a rule in contrast with
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others crystals. All magnetic symmetry classes (1 ≤ k ≤ 42) of the 180° DWs are possible in the crystals

of middle and higher symmetry. All 2α DWs magnetic symmetry classes are possible separately in the

crystals of lower, middle and higher symmetry.

The 2α DWs of magnetic symmetry class G16 (magnetic symmetry class “1”) have the maximum

degeneracy qk . It is equal to 16 (crystallographic class mmm), 48 (crystallographic class 6/mmm) and 96

(crystallographic class m3m) in crystals of lower, medium and higher symmetry singonies (in conformity

with terminology of [11]) respectively. Here, “crystallographic class” means the class of paramagnetic

phase by the convention [4]. Typical DWs degeneracy is 4 for crystals of the lower symmetry category

respectively. All possible 1800- and 2α DWs with 00< 2α <1800 have even degeneracy (its value is

between 2 and 96 in general case).

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References

[1] Hubert A. 1974 Theorie der Domanenwande in Geordneten Medielen (Theory of Domain Walls in

Ordered Media) (Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer); Hubert A and Shafer R 1998 Magnetic

Domains. The Analysis of Magnetic Microstructures (Berlin: Springer)

[2] Bokov V. and Volkov V. “Dynamic of the domain wall in the ferromagnetics” 2008 Physics of the

Solid State. 50 198

[3] Shuvalov L. 1959 Sov. Phys. Crystallogr. 4 399

[4] Shuvalov L. 1988 Modern Crystallography IV : Physical Properties of Crystals. (Berlin: Springer)

[5] Baryakhtar V., Lvov V. and Yablonsky D. 1984 JETP 87 1863

[6] Baryakhtar V., Krotenko E. and Yablonsky D. 1986 JETP 91 921

[7] Lilley B. 1950 Phil.Mag. 41 792

[8] Andreev A. and Marchenko V. 1976 JETP 70 1522

[9] Landau L., Lifshitz E. and Pitaevskii L. 1984 Course of Theoretical Physics, vol.8. Electrodynamics

of Continuous Media (London: Pergamon Press)

[10] Kopcik V. A. 1966 Xubnikovskie Gruppy: Spravoqnik po simmetrii i fiziqeskim svostvam.

kristalliqeskih struktur [Shubnikov’s groups: Handbook on the symmetry and physical properties of

crystalline structures, in Russian], (Moscow: Izdatel’stvo Moskovskogo Universiteta).

Shubnikov A.V., Belov N.V. Colored symmetry (London: Pergamon Press)

Tavger B. and Zaitzev V. 1956 JETP 3 430

[11] Vanshtein B. 1994 Modern Crystallography 1: Symmetry of Crystals, Methods of Structural

Crystallography (Berlin: Springer)

[12] Wigner E. 1959 Group Theory and its Application to the Quantum Mechanics of Atomic Spectra

(New York: Academic Press)

[13] B.M. Tanygin, O.V. Tychko 2009 Phys. B: Condens. Matter 404 (21) 4018-4022.

[14] Heyderman L., Niedoba H., Gupta H. and Puchalska I. 1991 J. Magn. Magn. Mater 96 125.

Vakhitov R., Yumaguzin A 2000 J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 215-216 52

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Appendix. The degeneracy q k of the 2α and 180° DWs in crystals of different symmetry categories.
Table A1. The degeneracy q k of the 2α and 180° DWs in crystals of lower symmetry

Singony (system)
k Triclinic Monoclinic Orthorhombic
Crystallographic classes
1 1 2 m 2/m 222 mm2 mmm
1 - - - - - - - 2
2 - - - - - - 2 4
3 - - - - - - 2 4
4 - - - - 2 - - 4
5 - - - - 2 - - 4
6 - - - 2 4 - 4 8
7 - - - - - 2 - 4
8 - - 2 - 4 4 4 8
9 - - - - - - 2 4
10 - - 2 - 4 4 4 8
11 - - - 2 4 - 4 8
12 - - - 2 4 - 4 8
13 - - 2 - 4 4 4 8
14 - - - - 2 - - 4
15 - 2 - - 4 - 4 8
16 2 4 4 4 8 8 8 16
17 - - - - - - 2 4
18 - - - 2 4 - 4 8
19 - - 2 - 4 4 4 8
20 - - - - 2 - - 4
21 - - - - - 2 - 4
22 - - - - - - 2 4
23 - - - - - - - 2
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Table A2. The degeneracy q k of the 2α and 180° DWs in crystals of medium symmetry

Singony (system)
Tetragonal Trigonal
k Crystallographic classes
4 4 422 4mm 4/m 4 2m 4/mmm 3 3 32 3m 3m
1 - - - - - - 4 - - - - -
2 - - - 4 - 4 8 - - - - -
3 - - - 4 - 4 8 - - - - -
4 - - - - 4 - 8 - - - - 6
5 - - - - 4 - 8 - - - - 6
6 - - - 8 8 8 16 - - - 6 12
7 - - 4 - - 4 8 - - - - -
8 4 4 8 8 8 8 16 - - 6 - 12
9 - - - 4 - 4 8 - - - - -
10 4 4 8 8 8 8 16 - - 6 - 12
11 - - - 8 8 8 16 - - - 6 12
12 - - - 8 8 8 16 - - - 6 12
13 4 4 8 8 8 8 16 - - 6 - 12
14 - - - - 4 - 8 - - - - 6
15 - - - - 8 - 16 - 6 6 - 12
16 8 8 16 16 16 16 32 6 12 12 12 24
17 - - - 4 - 4 8 - - - - -
18 - - - 8 8 8 16 - - - 6 12
19 4 4 8 8 8 8 16 - - 6 - 12
20 - - - - 4 - 8 - - - - 6
21 - - 4 - - 4 8 - - - - -
22 - - - - - 4 8 - - - - -
23 - - - - - - 4 - - - - -
24 - - - - - - - 2 4 4 4 8
26 - - - - - - - - - - 2 4
27 - - - - - - - - - 2 - 4
29 - - - - - - - - - - - 2
30 2 - 4 4 4 - 8 - - - - -
31 - - - - 2 - 4 - - - - -
32 - - - 2 - - 4 - - - - -
33 - - 2 - - - 4 - - - - -
34 - - - - - - 2 - - - - -
35 - 2 - - 4 4 8 - - - - -
36 - - - - - 2 4 - - - - -
42 - - - - - - - - 2 - - 4
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Table A3 (continue). The degeneracy q k of the 2α and 180° DWs in crystals of medium symmetry

Singony (system)
Hexagonal
k Crystallographic classes
6 6 622 6mm 6/m 6 m2 6/mmm
1 - - - - - - 6
2 - - - 6 - - 12
3 - - - 6 - - 12
4 - - - - 6 - 12
5 - - - - 6 - 12
6 - 6 - 12 12 12 24
7 - - 6 - - - 12
8 6 - 12 12 12 12 24
9 - - - 6 - - 12
10 6 - 12 12 12 12 24
11 - 6 - 12 12 12 24
12 - 6 - 12 12 12 24
13 6 - 12 12 12 12 24
14 - - - - 6 - 12
15 - - - - 12 - 24
16 12 12 24 24 24 24 48
17 - - - 6 - - 12
18 - 6 - 12 12 12 24
19 6 - 12 12 12 12 24
20 - - - - 6 - 12
21 - - 6 - - - 12
22 - - - 6 - - 12
23 - - - - - - 6
24 4 4 8 8 8 8 16
25 - 2 - - 4 4 8
26 - - - 4 - 4 8
27 - - 4 - - 4 8
28 - - - - - 2 4
29 - - - - - - 4
37 2 - 4 4 4 4 8
38 - - - - 2 - 4
39 - - - 2 - - 4
40 - - 2 - - - 4
41 - - - - - - 2
42 - - - - 4 4 8
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Table A4. The degeneracy q k of the 2α and 180° DWs in crystals of higher symmetry

Singony (system)
Cubic
k Crystallographic classes
23 432 4 3m m3 m3m
1 - - - 6 12
2 - - - 12 24
3 - - - 12 24
4 - - - 12 24
5 - - - 12 24
6 - - 24 24 48
7 6 12 12 12 24
8 12 24 24 24 48
9 - - - 12 24
10 12 24 24 24 48
11 - - 24 24 48
12 - - 24 24 48
13 12 24 24 24 48
14 - - - 12 24
15 - - - 24 48
16 24 48 48 48 96
17 - - - 12 24
18 - - 24 24 48
19 12 24 24 24 48
20 - - - 12 24
21 6 12 12 12 24
22 - - - 12 24
23 - - - 6 12
24 8 16 16 16 32
25 - - - - 16
26 - - 8 - 16
27 - 8 - - 16
28 - - - - 8
29 - - - 4 8
30 - 12 12 - 24
31 - - - - 12
32 - - 6 - 12
33 - 6 6 - 12
34 - - - - 6
35 - - 12 - 24
36 - - - - 12
37 - - - - 16
38 - - - - 8
39 - - - - 8
40 - - - - 8
41 - - - - 4
42 - - - 8 16