What does "Magnetic Susceptibility" mean?
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Magnetic susceptibility is a measure of how much a material will become magnetized in the presence of an external magnetic field. It tells us how easily a material can be magnetized and how strong that magnetization will be.
Types of Magnetic Susceptibility
There are different types of magnetic susceptibility, which help to categorize materials based on their magnetic behaviors:
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Diamagnetic Materials: These materials are weakly repelled by a magnetic field. They do not retain any magnetization when the external field is removed.
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Paramagnetic Materials: These materials are weakly attracted to a magnetic field and can become magnetized in the presence of the field. However, this magnetization disappears once the external field is removed.
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Ferromagnetic Materials: These materials become strongly magnetized in an external magnetic field and can retain their magnetization even after the field is removed.
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Antiferromagnetic Materials: In these materials, the magnetization of adjacent atoms tends to cancel each other out, resulting in no net magnetization.
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Ferrimagnetic Materials: Similar to antiferromagnetic materials, but the opposing magnetization is unequal, resulting in a net magnetization.
Importance of Magnetic Susceptibility
Magnetic susceptibility is important in various applications. It helps in understanding the behavior of materials under magnetic fields, which can be crucial for designing electronic devices, sensors, and magnetic materials used in technology. By studying a material's magnetic susceptibility, researchers can gain insights into its structure and properties.