Nonlinear behavior of magnetic fluid in Brownian relaxation

This study investigated the nonlinear behavior of magnetic fluids under high excitation fields due to nonlinear Brownian relaxation. As a direct indication of nonlinear behavior, we characterized the higher harmonics of the magnetization signal generated by the magnetic fluid. The amplitudes of the fundamental to the ninth harmonic of the magnetization signal were measured as a function of the external field. The experimental results were compared with numerical simulations based on the Fokker-Planck equation, which describes nonlinear Brownian relaxation. To allow a quantitative comparison, we estimated the size distribution and size dependence of the magnetic moment in the sample. In the present magnetic fluid, composed of agglomerates of Fe₃O ₄ particles, the magnetic moment was estimated to be roughly proportional to the diameter of the particles, in contrast to the case of single-domain particles. When the size distribution and the size dependence of the magnetic moment were taken into account, there was good quantitative agreement between the experiment and simulation.