Domains in soft magnetic materials

As in a soft magnetic material the stray field energy dominates over anisotropy, domain structures are formed which tend to avoid stray fields. Their details depend on the anisotropy, the surface orientation relative to the easy axes, and the dimensions of the specimen. Based on magnetooptical domain studies, the fundamentals and characteristics of magnetic microstructures in soft magnetic materials are exemplarily reviewed in this presentation. In-situ experiments using applied magnetic fields and mechanical stresses help in understanding complex magnetic microstructures and in assessing their role in hysteresis properties.