Size Ranges of Magnetic Domain States in Tetrataenite
Name
Geochem Geophys Geosyst - 2022 - Mansbach - Size Ranges of Magnetic Domain States in Tetrataenite.pdf
Description
Published version
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3.03 MB
Format
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Checksum (MD5)
987a6eafc84e77600d512e3b1efe8269
Author(s)
Mansbach, Elias N
Shah, Jay
Williams, Wyn
Maurel, Clara
Bryson, James FJ
Weiss, Benjamin P
Date Issued
October 17, 2022
Journal
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Citation
Mansbach, E. N., Shah, J., Williams, W., Maurel, C., Bryson, J. F. J., & Weiss, B. P. (2022). Size ranges of magnetic domain states in tetrataenite. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 23, e2022GC010631.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Paleomagnetic studies of meteorites provide unique constraints on the evolution of magnetic
fields in the early solar system. These studies rely on the identification of magnetic minerals that can retain
stable magnetizations over ≳4.5 billion years (Ga). The ferromagnetic mineral tetrataenite (γ''-Fe0.5Ni0.5)
is found in iron, stony-iron and chondrite meteorite groups. Nanoscale intergrowths of tetrataenite have
been shown to carry records of paleomagnetic fields, although the effect of magnetostatic interactions
on their magnetic remanence acquisition remains to be fully understood. Tetrataenite can also occur as
isolated, non-interacting, nanoscale grains in many meteorite groups, although the paleomagnetic potential
of these grains is particularly poorly understood. Here, we aim to improve our understanding of tetrataenite
magnetization to refine our knowledge of existing paleomagnetic analyses and broaden the spectrum of
meteorite groups that can be used for future paleomagnetic studies. We present the results of analytical
calculations and micromagnetic modeling of isolated tetrataenite grains with various geometries. We find
that tetrataenite forms a stable single domain state at grain lengths between 6 and ∼160 nm dependent on its
elongation. It also possesses a magnetization resistant to viscous remagnetization over the lifetime of the solar
system at 293 K. At larger grain sizes, tetrataenite's lowest energy state is a lamellar two-domain state, stable at
Ga-scale timescales. Unlike many other magnetic minerals, tetrataenite does not form a single-vortex domain
state due to its large uniaxial anisotropy. Our results show that single domain and two-domain tetrataenite
grains carry an extremely stable magnetization and therefore are promising for paleomagnetic studies.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial
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DOI of Published Version
10.1029/2022gc010631
