Workshop Support: "Magnetism, Hysteresis and the FORC Method"

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0330784VerosubLast year, the University of California, Davis, received a grant (EAR-02-16346) from the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI) program. The grant, entitled "Enhancing the Capabilities for Characterization of Magnetic Materials at the University of California, Davis", provided funds for the purchase of a combined alternating gradient and vibrating sample magnetometer (AGM/VSM). This instrument will be dedicated to research using first-order reversal curves (FORCs), a new technique for studying the magnetic properties of natural and synthetic samples. The high magnetic field and high and low temperature capabilities of new instrument make it possible to acquire FORC data over a greater range of temperatures and magnetic fields than has heretofore been possible. The FORC method uses partial hysteresis curves to obtain information about the distribution of magnetic grains in a sample, rather than just their average value. In addition, it can be used to study magnetic interactions within a sample. For these reasons, the method can probe the microscopic mechanisms of magnetic behavior in greater detail than is possible with major hysteresis loops or with many conventional forms of magnetometry. Although it was originally developed to study natural geologic samples, the FORC method has potential applications to other fields, and an interdisciplinary team of earth scientists, condensed matter physicists and material scientists at UC Davis has already used the method to study advanced magnetic media, spin glasses and magnetic nanostructures. In order to disseminate information about the FORC method as effectively as possible, this grant will provide travel support for international and U.S. scientists to attend a workshop entitled "Magnetism, Hysteresis and the FORC Method". The workshop will take place April 25-27, 2003, on the Davis campus, and the organizing committee consists of Ken Verosub (a geophysicist), Kai Liu (a material scientist), and Richard Scalettar and Gergely Zimanyi (both condenses matter physicists). At the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn about the FORC method and its applications, to listen to invited papers on current issues in magnetism and hysteresis, to participate in discussions about the relationship between these issues and the FORC method, and to obtain hands-on experience at creating FORC diagrams. ***