Magnetization response in bulk nanostructured magnets

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on nanostructured Fe reveal grain-size-dependent magnetic correlations with a minimal correlation length for grain sizes on the order of the bulk domain-wall width. To investigate the evolution of these correlations during the magnetization process, we performed SANS experiments in external fields of various strengths. In intermediate fields, we find anisotropic scattering profiles with an unusual intensity enhancement for scattering vectors parallel to the field direction. These observations are compared with a modeled granular microstructure containing magnetic domains of arbitrary size and orientation, demonstrating that magnetic domains extend over several grains and have a magnetization that is tilted considerably away from the external field direction. Since the domain size does not change significantly with the magnitude of the external field, we conclude that the magnetization process does not proceed via domain-wall motion. Rather, our SANS data suggests that the magnetization process proceeds by simultaneous reversal of a few adjacent domains, presumably in the form of small avalanches. The latter supposition is supported by theoretical arguments showing the existence of marginally stable domains within the random-anisotropy model.