Materials Science Forum Submitted: 2015-09-04

ISSN: 1662-9752, Vol. 845, pp 89-92 Revised: 2015-11-16

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.845.89 Accepted: 2015-12-08
© 2016 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland Online: 2016-03-03

Monte Carlo simulation of thin magnetic films critical behavior

Pavel V. Prudnikov1,a*, Anna P. Soldusova1,b,
Maria A. Medvedeva1, Natalia I. Piskunova1
1
Department of Theoretical Physics, Omsk State University, Omsk 644077, Russia
a b
prudnikp@univer.omsk.su, anka_omsk@mail.ru

Keywords: thin magnetic films, critical behavior, anisotropy, dipolar interaction, non-equilibrium
relaxation, aging and memory effects.

Abstract. The Monte-Carlo study deals with ultrathin magnetic films critical behavior. Uniaxial
anisotropy, long-range dipolar interactions and external magnetic field competition effects on phase
transition, domain structure and system properties were investigated. Striped spin configurations are
demonstrated for system with strong dipolar interaction. The effective antiferromagnetic character
of dipolar interaction is observed in bilayer structure. Memory effects in non-equilibrium critical
time relaxation of magnetization and autocorrelation function are investigated.

Introduction
The study of ultrathin magnetic films critical properties is of great interest because of possibilities to
use them in different application like memory devices, magnetic field sensors, etc. [1].Magnetic
order in thin ferromagnetic films is very complex due to a strong influence of the shape and the
magnetocrystalline anisotropies of the sample. In view of this complexity, theoretical work on
simplified models and computer simulations are essential for rationalizing and guiding new
experimental work. Thin films demonstrate various types of magnetic domain structures: stripes,
bubbles, labyrinths, etc. Such structures are formed with the presence of uniaxial anisotropy, dipolar
interactions and external magnetic field [2]. Anisotropy effects lead to dimensionality crossover in
Heisenberg films [3]. In this paper we investigate the competition effects of exchange interaction,
uniaxial anisotropy, long-range dipolar interactions and external magnetic field on phase transition,
domain structure of thin Heisenberg films.

Model and methods

We have performed Monte Carlo simulations of macroscopic spin system with crystalline structure
of ultrathin film which is described by a Heisenberg-type Hamiltonian







 Si S j ( Si rij )(S j rij ) 
H = − J ∑<i , j > Si S j − A∑iSi , z − h ∑iS i + D∑i≠ j  3 − 3 , (1)


2



5
r
 ij rij 
 

where J is an nearest-neighbor exchange interaction; D is the dipolar coupling parameter; A is a

single-ion easy-axis anisotropy; h is an external magnetic field, and rij = r j − ri , where ri stands for
lattice vectors.
The simulations were carried out for films with sizes L × L × N with the use of periodic and free
boundary conditions for the in-plane and out-plane directions, respectively. L × L represents the
number of spins in each layer of the film and N is the number of layers. N S = NL2 is a total number
of spins in the film. The spin configurations of the films are updated using the Metropolis
algorithm.

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90 Phase Transitions, Critical and Nonlinear Phenomena in Condensed Matter

We measured the magnetization

m(T ) = 1 N s ∑ S i2,x + S i2,y + Si2,z , (2)

i

out-plane and in-plane magnetization

mz (T ) = 1 N s ∑ Si2,z , mxy (T ) = 1 N s ∑ Si2,x + Si2,y , (3)

i i

and an orientational order parameter [4]

nαh − nαv
Oα = ,, (4)
nαh + nαv

where angle brackets denote the statistical averaging, α∈{x,y,z}, nh and nv are the number of
horizontal and vertical pairs of nearest neighbor spins with antialigned {x,y} components,

{ [
nαh = ∑ 1 − sgn S α (rx , ry ), S α (rx + 1, ry ) , ]} { [ ]}
nvα = ∑ 1 − sgn S α (rx , ry ), S α (rx , ry + 1) . (5)
r r

We define the magnetic χα and oriental χO susceptibility as

2 2
mα2 − mα Ohv2 − Ohv
χm = , χO = . (6)
T T

The temperature dependencies of the Binder’s cumulant U(T)

 4 
1 m (T ) 
U (T ) =  3 − α 2 
(7)
2 mα2 (T ) 
 

were calculated to clarify the critical temperatures of second-order phase transition in samples.

Results of modeling
For monolayer film with D=0 we recover the two-dimensional 2D anisotropic Heisenberg model.
The isotropic case A=0 is obviously known to present no transition. For A>0 the model is in the
Ising universality class undergoing an order-disorder phase transition. Magnetic film with N=2 and
easy-axis anisotropy A=0.10J and weak dipole interaction D=0.01J demonstrates ferromagnetic
phase transition. Temperature dependencies of the magnetization m(T), mz(T), mxy(T), orientational
order parameter O(T) and susceptibilities χm(T), χO(T) are presented in Fig. 1a. χm(T) demonstrates
singular behavior near critical temperature. Value of TC=1.03(3) was calculated from Binder’s
cumulant temperature behavior (Eq. 7). Temperature dependence of oriental order parameter O(T)
(Fig. 1b) demonstrates the absence of striped spin structure for films with weak dipolar interaction.
Striped structure is realized in the case of strong dipolar interaction (D ≥ 10 J), which leads to
effective antiferromagnetic state.
 Materials Science Forum Vol. 845 91

1.0 30
0.06 0.010

0.8 mz 0.05
χz 24
0.04
0.6
18 0.005
m(T)

Oy(T)
0.03

χ(T)

χO(T)
0.4 Oy(T)
12 0.02
χO(T)
0.2
mxy χxy 6 0.01
0.000
0.0 0.00
0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2
(a) T (b) T
Fig. 1 Temperature dependencies of (a) magnetizations mz, mxy and susceptibilities χm, χxy ;
and (b) orientational order parameter O and , χO for films with A = 0.10J, D = 0.01J

(a) (b)

Fig. 2 Striped spin configurations for films with N=2, A = 0.10J, D = 10.0J at (a) T = 0.7
and (b) T = 4.3. The depth of the color reflects the values of Sy (black: -1.0, white: +1.0).

0.3
0.3
0.2 layer 1
0.2
0.1
0.1
layer 2 layer 1
mz

0.0
mz

0.0
-0.1
-0.1

-0.2
layer 2 h = 0.0 -0.2
hZ = 1.0
-0.3 -0.3
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
(b) (c)
(a) T T

Fig. 3 (a) Bilayer structure with dipole-dipole interlayer interaction; Temperature dependencies of
out-of-plane layer magnetization mz(T) for (b) h=0.0 and (c) hz=1.0

Examples of striped spin configurations are presented in Fig. 2 for magnetic film with N=2 at T
= 0.7. The depth of the color reflects the values of Sy (black: -1.0, white: +1.0). The temperature
increasing lead to destroying of striped structure. Smoothing of striped state is presented in Fig. 2b
for system at T = 4.3. For large enough temperature system demonstrates paramagnetic behavior.
The effective antiferromagnetic character of dipolar interaction was investigated on bilayer
magnetic structure with long-range interlayer dipole-dipole interaction. Geometry and interactions
of the layered structure is presented in Fig. 3a. The following values of parameters were used in
modeling: L = 16, N = 1, A = 0.1J, D = 0.01J. In the case of the absence of external field h=0 the
out-of plane magnetization of neighbored layers is oppositely directed in low-temperature phase
(Fig. 3b). Applying of field lead to switching of system to ferromagnetic state (Fig. 3c)
92 Phase Transitions, Critical and Nonlinear Phenomena in Condensed Matter

0.2
1 ∆t=tw
C(t,tw) tw=100 0.15

0.1 tw=20 0.1

tw=20

m(t)
tw=100
0.01
0.05
m0=0.01 ∆T=0.2 m0=0.01 ∆T=0.2
1 10 100 1000
(a) (b) 10 100 1000
t - tw, MCs/s t, MCs/s

Fig. 4 (Color online) Non-equilibrium critical relaxation of (a) autocorrelation function C(t, tW) and
(b) magnetization m(t) for “waiting” times tW=20, 100 MCS/s (Monte Carlo steps per spin).
At time moment tstart=tW it were produced cooling (blue color ▼) and heating (red color ▲) cycling
procedure for ∆T=0.2 during ∆t=tW MCS/s

Memory and aging effects

The research includes the study of aging and memory effects [5]. These “spin-glasses” non-
equilibrium phenomena can produce in multilayer structures more drastic effects than in bulk
systems [6]. After quenching at TC and preparing during “waiting” time tW the system relaxed from
initial high-temperature state with m0 << 1 . The memory effects study is based on the non-
equilibrium autocorrelation function and magnetization behavior during cooling or heating cycling
procedure which are presented in Fig. 4.

Conclusions
The range of colorful phenomena in thin magnetic films is observed which can be explained by
combined effects of magnetocrystalline anisotropy, dipole interaction and critical slow down at TC.

Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Russian Science Foundation (project no. 14-12-00562). The
simulations were supported by the Supercomputing Center of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

References
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Phase Transitions, Critical and Nonlinear Phenomena in Condensed Matter
10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.845

Monte Carlo Simulation of Thin Magnetic Films Critical Behavior

10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.845.89

DOI References
[1] C. Chappet, A. Fert, F. Nguen Van Dau, The emergence of spin electronics in data storage, Nature Mater.
6 (2007) 813-823.
10.1038/nmat2024
[2] M. Rapini, R.A. Dias, B.V. Costa, Phase transition in ultrathin magnetic films with long-range
interactions: Monte Carlo simulation of the anisotropic Heisenberg model, Phys. Rev. B 75 (2007) 014425.
10.1103/physrevb.75.014425
[3] P.V. Prudnikov, V.V. Prudnikov, M.A. Menshikova, N.I. Piskunova, Dimensionality crossover in critical
behaviour of ultrathin ferromagnetic films, J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 387 (2015) 77-82.
10.1016/j.jmmm.2015.03.075
[4] M.C. Ambrose, R.L. Stamps, Monte Carlo simulation of the effects of higher-order anisotropy on the spin
reorientation transition in the two-dimensional Heisenberg model with long-range interactions, Phys. Rev. B
87 (2013) 184417.
10.1103/physrevb.87.184417
[5] M. Henkel, M. Pleimling, Non-equilibrium phase transitions, Vol. 2: Ageing and dynamical scaling far
from equilibrium, Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, Springer, Heidelberg, (2010).
10.1007/978-90-481-2869-3_1
[6] T. Mukherjee, M. Pleimling, and Ch. Binek, Probing equilibrium by nonequilibrium dynamics: Aging in
Co/Cr superlattices, Phys. Rev. B 82 (2010) 134425.
10.1103/physrevb.82.134425
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