Demonstration of Magnetic Domains

Abstract

The advent of transparent ferrimagnetic materials has made possible the direct observation of magnetic domains with a polarizing microscope. A description is given of a simple self-contained polarizing microscope suitable for demonstrating the behavior of domains. The procurement of crystals and the actual specimen preparation are discussed. With this demonstration one can observe many of the properties of magnetic domains; the influence of external fields, of changes in the magnetization, and the influence of imperfections on domain structure, to name a few. The authors suggest that the use of such a demonstration microscope as an instructional aid should facilitate greatly the teaching of magnetism on a relatively fundamental plane.