Micromagnetic domain structures and thermal stability of magnetite and iron as a function of grain size, shape and temperature (NERC grant NE/J020966/1)

The vast majority of palaeomagnetic recordings held in rock and meteorites are contained in small inhomogeneously magnetised particles that have a single-vortex (SV) domain state. The reliability and fidelity of the magnetic recording in these particles can only be determined using a numerical micromagnetic approach. This data set provides the first comprehensive examination of domain state as a function of grain size, grain shape and temperature for both magnetite and iron. The results show that SV domain states are highly stable, and in some cases more stable than their ‘ideal’ uniformly magnetized counterparts. With the data sets in this archive it is possible to determine the magnetic recording and stability characteristics of assemblies of grains that can be matched to a wide variety of grain distributions found in terrestrial rocks and meteorites.