Soft hysteresis

Fig. 8.5. Stability of STM and the rigidity of surfaces. If the tip and the sample surface are relatively rigid, the system is stable. If the tip is not plunging into the sample surface too deep, the approaching of the tip into the repulsive-force region is reversible. If the sample surface is soft, hysteresis occurs. However, if the lateral strength of the sample surface is high, there could be no permanent destruction.

Hysteresis curves for a magnetically hard and a magnetically soft ferromagnetic material. S = saturation magnetization, R = remanent magnetization, K = coercive force... 

Also known for some time is a phase transition at low temperature (111K), observed in studies with various methods (NQR, elasticity measurement by ultrasound, Raman spectrometry) 112 temperature-dependent neutron diffraction showed the phase transition to be caused by an antiphase rotation of adjacent anions around the threefold axis ([111] in the cubic cell) and to lower the symmetry from cubic to rhombohedral (Ric). As shown by inelastic neutron scattering, this phase transition is driven by a low-frequency rotatory soft mode (0.288 THz 9.61 cm / 298 K) 113 a more recent NQR study revealed a small hysteresis and hence first-order character of this transition.114 This rhombohedral structure is adopted by Rb2Hg(CN)4 already at room temperature (rav(Hg—C) 218.6, rav(C—N) 114.0 pm for two independent cyano groups), and the analogous phase transition to the cubic structure occurs at 398 K.115... 

Energy losses in soft magnetic materials arise due to both hysteresis and eddy currents, as described in the previous section. Eddy current losses can be reduced by increasing the electrical resistivity of the magnetic material. This is one reason why solid-solution iron-silicon alloys ( 4% Si) are used at power frequencies of around 60 Hz and why iron-nickel alloys are used at audio frequencies. Some magnetically soft ferrites (see Section 6.2.2.1) are very nearly electrical insulators and are thus immune to eddy current losses. Some common soft magnetic materials and their properties are listed in Table 6.19. Soft magnetic alloys are described further in Section 6.2.1.6. 

Figure 6.55 Comparison of hysteresis loops for soft and hard magnetic materials. From K. M. Ralls, T. H. Courtney, and J. Wulff, Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering. Copyright 1976 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. This material is used by permission John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Magnetically soft Fe-Ni alloys can have their properties altered by heat treatment. The compound NisFe undergoes an order-disorder transformation at about 500°C. Since the susceptibility of the ordered phase is only about half that of the disordered phase, a higher susceptibility is realized when the alloy is quenched from 600°C, a process that retains the high-temperature, disordered structure. Heat treatment of Fe-Ni alloys in a magnetic field further enhances their magnetic characteristics (see Figure 6.61), and the square hysteresis loop of 65 Permalloy so processed is desirable in many applications. A related alloy called Supermalloy (see Table 6.19) can have an initial susceptibility of approximately one million. 

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