Spin kinetic Monte Carlo method for nanoferromagnetism and magnetization dynamics of nanomagnets with large magnetic anisotropy

Abstract

The Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method based on the transition-state theory, powerful and famous for simulating atomic epitaxial growth of thin films and nanostructures, was used recently to simulate the nanoferromagnetism and magnetization dynamics of nanomagnets with giant magnetic anisotropy. We present a brief introduction to the KMC method and show how to reformulate it for nanoscale spin systems. Large enough magnetic anisotropy, observed experimentally and shown theoretically in terms of first-principle calculation, is not only essential to stabilize spin orientation but also necessary in making the transition-state barriers during spin reversals for spin KMC simulation. We show two applications of the spin KMC method to monatomic spin chains and spin-polarized-current controlled composite nanomagnets with giant magnetic anisotropy. This spin KMC method can be applied to other anisotropic nanomagnets and composite nanomagnets as long as their magnetic anisotropy energies are large enough.