Dynamical micromagnetics of a ferromagnetic particle: Numerical studies

We have developed a general purpose dynamical micromagnetic code to solve the damped Gilbert equation using the finite element method. We report a study of magnetization switching in a ferromagnetic prolate ellipsoid with aspect ratio of 4.6:1. Switching starts with curling at the middle of the particle, then continues with more complex magnetization configurations, heavily influenced by the damping constant. In general, lighter damping produces more sharply defined domain walls. The critical field for switching has a mild dependence on the damping constant. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.