Interpretation of hysteresis curves and Henkel plots by the Preisach model (invited)

We discuss some properties of the scalar moving Preisach model (MPM) in relation to the description of magnetic interactions. MPM predictions for the behavior of Henkel plots are worked out. The role of the factorization properties of the Preisach distribution and the consequences of the joint presence of mean-field effects and local random interactions are discussed. Literature data are analyzed in the frame of this description, with particular attention to thin-film media with perpendicular magnetization, where mean-field effects are particularly strong. Some of the theoretical predictions are directly tested by hysteresis and Henkel plot measurements performed on SiFe soft alloys. A good agreement, in some cases involving no adjustable parameters, is found.