Hysteresis modeling of Gd films and AFC thin-film recording media

This paper presents simulations of hysteresis processes in thin film media using 1D and 2D Preisach models. In the 2D version, a vector operator and superposition of angularly distributed models are used. The characteristic density of the material being modeled is reconstructed via a curve-fitting least-squares procedure that determines the parameters of a bivariate normal probability function density or a weighed mixture of normal densities based on major loop data only. The models have been identified for several samples of Gd films annealed at various temperatures and AFC thin-film recording media consisting of a hard and a soft phase antiferromagnetically coupled. The major and minor hysteresis loops calculated for all samples are in good agreement with experimental data.