Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles
The study of the paleomagnetic signal recorded by rocks allows scientists to understand Earth’s past magnetic field and the formation of the geodynamo. The magnetic recording fidelity of this signal is dependent on the magnetic domain state it adopts. The most prevalent example found in nature is th...
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| Format: | Article |
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American Association for the Advancement of Science
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34254/ |
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| author | Almeida, Trevor P. Muxworthy, Adrian R. Kovacs, Andras Williams, Wyn Brown, Paul D. Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E. |
| author_facet | Almeida, Trevor P. Muxworthy, Adrian R. Kovacs, Andras Williams, Wyn Brown, Paul D. Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E. |
| author_sort | Almeida, Trevor P. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The study of the paleomagnetic signal recorded by rocks allows scientists to understand Earth’s past magnetic field and the formation of the geodynamo. The magnetic recording fidelity of this signal is dependent on the magnetic domain state it adopts. The most prevalent example found in nature is the pseudo–single-domain (PSD) structure, yet its recording fidelity is poorly understood. Here, the thermoremanent behavior of PSD magnetite (Fe3O4) particles, which dominate the magnetic signatures of many rock lithologies, is investigated using electron holography. This study provides spatially resolved magnetic information from individual Fe3O4 grains as a function of temperature, which has been previously inaccessible. A small exemplar Fe3O4 grain (~150 nm) exhibits dynamic movement of its magnetic vortex structure above 400°C, recovering its original state upon cooling, whereas a larger exemplar Fe3O4 grain (~250 nm) is shown to retain its vortex state on heating to 550°C, close to the Curie temperature of 580°C. Hence, we demonstrate that Fe3O4 grains containing vortex structures are indeed reliable recorders of paleodirectional and paleointensity information, and the presence of PSD magnetic signals does not preclude the successful recovery of paleomagnetic signals. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:22:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-34254 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:22:05Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-342542020-05-04T17:46:22Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34254/ Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles Almeida, Trevor P. Muxworthy, Adrian R. Kovacs, Andras Williams, Wyn Brown, Paul D. Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E. The study of the paleomagnetic signal recorded by rocks allows scientists to understand Earth’s past magnetic field and the formation of the geodynamo. The magnetic recording fidelity of this signal is dependent on the magnetic domain state it adopts. The most prevalent example found in nature is the pseudo–single-domain (PSD) structure, yet its recording fidelity is poorly understood. Here, the thermoremanent behavior of PSD magnetite (Fe3O4) particles, which dominate the magnetic signatures of many rock lithologies, is investigated using electron holography. This study provides spatially resolved magnetic information from individual Fe3O4 grains as a function of temperature, which has been previously inaccessible. A small exemplar Fe3O4 grain (~150 nm) exhibits dynamic movement of its magnetic vortex structure above 400°C, recovering its original state upon cooling, whereas a larger exemplar Fe3O4 grain (~250 nm) is shown to retain its vortex state on heating to 550°C, close to the Curie temperature of 580°C. Hence, we demonstrate that Fe3O4 grains containing vortex structures are indeed reliable recorders of paleodirectional and paleointensity information, and the presence of PSD magnetic signals does not preclude the successful recovery of paleomagnetic signals. American Association for the Advancement of Science 2016-04-15 Article PeerReviewed Almeida, Trevor P., Muxworthy, Adrian R., Kovacs, Andras, Williams, Wyn, Brown, Paul D. and Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E. (2016) Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles. Science Advances, 2 (4). e1501801. ISSN 2375-2548 Palaeomagnetism magnetite nanoparticles in situ transmission electron microscopy off-axis electron holography pseudo–single-domain states thermo-remanent magnetisation thermomagnetic behavior http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/4/e1501801 doi:10.1126/sciadv.1501801 doi:10.1126/sciadv.1501801 |
| spellingShingle | Palaeomagnetism magnetite nanoparticles in situ transmission electron microscopy off-axis electron holography pseudo–single-domain states thermo-remanent magnetisation thermomagnetic behavior Almeida, Trevor P. Muxworthy, Adrian R. Kovacs, Andras Williams, Wyn Brown, Paul D. Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E. Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| title | Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| title_full | Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| title_fullStr | Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| title_short | Direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| title_sort | direct visualization of the thermomagnetic behavior of pseudo-single-domain magnetite particles |
| topic | Palaeomagnetism magnetite nanoparticles in situ transmission electron microscopy off-axis electron holography pseudo–single-domain states thermo-remanent magnetisation thermomagnetic behavior |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34254/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34254/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34254/ |