Monte Carlo Simulations of Intragrain Spin Effects in a Quasi-2D Heisenberg Model with Uniaxial Anisotropy

A combination of Metropolis and modified Wolff cluster algorithms is used to examine the impact of uniaxial single-ion anisotropy on the phase transition to ferromagnetic order of Heisenberg macrospins on a 2D square lattice. This forms the basis of a model for granular perpendicular recording media where macrospins represent the magnetic moment of grains. The focus of this work is on the interplay between anisotropy D, intragrain exchange J' and intergrain exchange J on the ordering temperature T(C) and extends our previous reported analysis of the granular Ising model. The role of intragrain degrees of freedom in heat assisted magnetic recording is discussed.