Mean field model for ferromagnetic nanowire arrays based on a mechanical analogy.

Nanowire arrays have typical distributions of coercive and interaction fields, as revealed in experiments by means of the first-order reversal curve (FORC) method. In an axial applied field, each nanowire is subjected to a state dependent interaction field created by all wires from the array, which strongly influences the switching fields. A mean field model based on Preisach-Krasnosel'skii-Pokrovskii (PKP) hysterons is able to explain the interplay between interactions and critical fields in nanowire arrays and the subtle way in which switching fields are emphasized in FORC diagrams.