Granular micromagnetic model for perpendicular recording media : Quasi-static properties and media characterisation

Granular magnetic recording media with perpendicular anisotropy are the basis of information storage in hard drive. This is the case for current media and future technologies such as heat assisted magnetic recording, microwave assisted magnetic recording and heated dots. It is therefore important to understand the common methods of media characterisation, which often use quasi-static magnetic measurements. A granular micromagnetic model based on the kinetic Monte Carlo approach is developed to investigate the timescales relevant to these measurements. The model is used to investigate the effects of the microstructure and the intergranular interactions on the magnetic properties including the angular dependence of the magnetisation and the time dependence of the coercivity. The latter is shown to be strongly dependent on intergranular interactions.