Rare Earth Magnet Basics / Glossary of Magnet Terms / Magnetic domain
- Magnetic domain
- This is a small area in which the magnetic moment of a collection of magnetic dipoles are aligned. They exist within ferromagnetic bodies and ferrimagnetic bodies. In such magnetic bodies, if the spontaneous magnetization is all aligned in the same direction, this becomes an unstable state with extremely high magnetostatic energy. In order to avoid this, magnetic domains are finely divided into domains with appropriate size and direction. This is called a magnetic domain structure. The magnetic domains formed at this time create a structure in which the mutual magnetic moments cancel each other out or magnetic moments link with each other. As a result, the spontaneous magnetization of the overall magnetic body is reduced, giving the magnetic potential a more stable state.
