Influence of a bias dc field and an ac field amplitude on the dynamic susceptibility of a moderately concentrated ferrofluid

Phys Rev E. 2023 Aug;108(2-1):024607. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.108.024607.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effect of a bias dc field on the dynamic response of a moderately concentrated ferrofluid to an ac magnetic field of arbitrary amplitude. The ferrofluid is modeled by an ensemble of interacting moving magnetic particles; the reaction of particle magnetic moments to ac and dc magnetic fields occurs according to the Brownian mechanism; and the ac and dc magnetic fields are parallel. Based on a numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation for the probability density of the orientation of the magnetic moment of a random magnetic particle, dynamic magnetization and susceptibility are determined and analyzed for various values of the ac field amplitude, the dc field strength, and the intensity of dipole-dipole interactions. It is shown that the system's magnetic response is formed under the influence of competing interactions, such as dipole-dipole, dipole-ac field, and dipole-dc field interactions. When the energies of these interactions are comparable, unexpected effects are observed: the system's susceptibility can either increase or decrease with increasing ac field amplitude. This behavior is associated with the formation of nose-to-tail dipolar structures under the action of the dc field, which can hinder or promote the system's dynamic response to the ac field. The obtained results provide a theoretical basis for predicting the dynamic properties of ferrofluids to improve their use in biomedical applications, such as, in magnetic induction hyperthermia.