Effect of Damping Constant on Switching of Hexagonal Platelet Particle

The effect of Gilbert's damping constant α of a hexagonal platelet particle and the effect of the angle of the applied field on switching are investigated by computer simulation. The switching time decreases with the decrease of α in the range of 0.01<α<1 and becomes almost constant at α<0.01; the switching time is the time interval between the application of field and the earliest point at which the average magnetization in the easy direction becomes zero. The switching time decreases with the increase of the angle between the applied field and the easy direction. The oscillation amplitude of the average magnetization in the easy direction increases with the decrease of α, decreases with the increase of the presetting field, and increases with the increase of the angle between the applied field and the easy direction.