Magnetic properties of a frozen ferrofluid: Local-mean-field theory

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Recent experiments on the magnetic properties of frozen ferrofluids indicate clear deviations from canonical spin glass behavior. To elucidate these differences we present simulations based on a local-mean-field theory approach. This theoretical scheme was previously found to be quite successful for traditional spin glass and random field systems. In a parallel fashion we study frustration effects associated with a magnetic dipole-dipole interaction for a random spatial arrangement of Heisenberg spins in a quenched ferrofluid. Some of the experimental features can be reproduced if the spins are assumed to be inhomogeneously distributed in space.