Talk:Magnetic anisotropy

Merger proposal
Magnetocrystalline anisotropy is a special case of magnetic anisotropy. The page contains references to shape anisotropy and magnets too, and should be included in this page. --WvEngen (talk) 17:19, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
 * A combined page could get unwieldy fast. Magnetocrystalline anisotropy needs content describing the origin of magnetocrystalline anisotropy; meanwhile, more categories could be added to this page - for example, surface anisotropy and the collective anisotropy of a polycrystalline material. RockMagnetist (talk) 03:01, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Old text
This text was originally on the page, but was defining magnetic anisotropy too narrow. There may be information however that is missing currently, feel free to add after checking the sources (which gives a HTTP 404 currently).

Magnetic anisotropy is also a property in an individual atom. It is a fundamental measurement that has important technological consequences because it determines an atom's ability to store information.

Between 1928 and 1933, while working at the Dacca University as a Reader in the Physics department, K. S. Krishnan, the co-discoverer of Raman scattering, studied magnetic properties of crystals in relation to their structure and developed an experimental technique to measure the magnetic anisotropy of dia - and paramagnetic crystals. The research papers published by him and his colleagues at the university are considered to be foundation stones of the modern fields of crystal magnetism and magneto chemistry. --WvEngen (talk) 17:19, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

What needs to be included
The following topics would be a useful addition to the page (in random order): --WvEngen (talk) 17:19, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
 * reference superparamagnetism (where anisotropy barrier is overcome by the thermal energy)
 * elaborate on shape and magnetocrystalline anisotropy, give them their own section with pictures to explain (important)
 * mention K1, K2, ... and give typical values for some materials (in the magnetocrystalline section)
 * point to experimental evidence (papers)
 * applications: permanent magnets, ...
 * explain relevance in recent developments (reference recent journal articles)
 * cross-reference other topics where magnetic anisotropy is important (in physics)