The switching criterion in perpendicular magnetic recording

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the effect of the "switching criterion", the level at which self-consistency is assumed in calculations on the perpendicular magnetic recording process. It can be proven that in a perpendicular recording configuration with an ideal keeper layer and a recording layer with a rectangular hysteresis loop, the switching criterion in stand-still recording situations is immaterial, because self-consistency is reached at all depth levels simultaneously. If either the keeper layer is absent, or the recording layer's hysteresis loop is sheared, it is shown that the higher the level at which self-consistency is assumed, the sharper the stand-still recorded transitions will be.