Eur. Phys. J. B (2018) 91: 55
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2018-80543-9

Regular Article

Magnetic islands modelled by a phase-field-crystal approach

¹ Physics Department, Rutherford Building, 3600 rue University, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 2T8, Canada
² Department of Physics, University of Swaziland, Private Bag 4, Kwaluseni M201, Swaziland
³ Department of Physics, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA

^a e-mail: faghihi.niloufar@gmail.com

Received: 26 September 2017
Received in final form: 9 December 2017
Published online: 26 March 2018

Abstract

Using a minimal model based on the phase-field-crystal formalism, we study the coupling between the density and magnetization in ferromagnetic solids. Analytical calculations for the square phase in two dimensions are presented and the small deformation properties of the system are examined. Furthermore, numerical simulations are conducted to study the influence of an external magnetic field on various phase transitions, the anisotropic properties of the free energy functional, and the scaling behaviour of the growth of the magnetic domains in a crystalline solid. It is shown that the energy of the system can depend on the direction of the magnetic moments, with respect to the crystalline direction. Furthermore, the growth of the magnetic domains in a crystalline solid is studied and is shown that the growth of domains is in agreement with expected behaviour.