Modeling of interaction effects in granular systems

Interaction effects on the magnetic behavior of granular solid systems are examined using a numerical model which is capable of predicting the field, temperature and time dependence of magnetization. In this work, interaction effects on the temperature dependence of time viscosity coefficient S(T) and formation of minor hysteresis loops have been studied. The results for the time- and temperature dependence of remanence ratio have showed that the distribution of energy barriers f(DeltaE) obtained depend critically on the strength and nature of interactions. These interactions-based changes in f(DeltaE) can easily give a temperature-independent behavior of S(T) when these changes give a 1/DeltaE behavior to the distribution of energy barriers. Thus, conclusions about macroscopic quantum tunneling must be carefully drawn when the temperature dependence of S(T) is used to probe for MQT effects. For minor hysteresis effects, the result shows that for the non-interacting case, no minor hysteresis loops occur and the loops are only predicted when the interaction field is positive. From these predictions, minor loops will form when the interaction held is strong enough to magnetize some moments during the recoil process back to zero field. Thus, these minor loops are originated from interaction driving irreversible changes along the recoil curve and the irreversible component of magnetization has no direct influence on the formation of these minor loops. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.