English

Ferromagnetic Liquid Thin Films Under Applied Field

Soft Condensed Matter 2009-10-31 v1

Abstract

Theoretical calculations, computer simulations and experiments indicate the possible existence of a ferromagnetic liquid state, although definitive experimental evidence is lacking. Should such a state exist, demagnetization effects would force a nontrivial magnetization texture. Since liquid droplets are deformable, the droplet shape is coupled with the magnetization texture. In a thin-film geometry in zero applied field, the droplet has a circular shape and a rotating magnetization texture with a point vortex at the center. We calculate the elongation and magnetization texture of such ferromagnetic thin film liquid droplet confined between two parallel plates under a weak applied magnetic field. The vortex stretches into a domain wall and exchange forces break the reflection symmetry. This behavior contrasts qualitatively and quantitatively with the elongation of paramagnetic thin films.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9911202,
  title  = {Ferromagnetic Liquid Thin Films Under Applied Field},
  author = {S. Banerjee and M. Widom},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9911202},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

10 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. E