ferromagnética

Ferromagnética is a term in physics referring to materials that exhibit ferromagnetism. Ferromagnetism is a form of magnetism that occurs in materials that are strongly attracted by a magnet and which can be magnetized themselves. This attraction is a result of unpaired electron spins within the material's atoms. In ferromagnetic materials, these spins align with each other, creating a macroscopic magnetic field.

The key characteristic of ferromagnética materials is their ability to retain magnetism even after the external magnetic field is removed, a property known as hysteresis. This makes them ideal for applications such as permanent magnets, data storage devices like hard drives, and electric motors. Common ferromagnetic materials include iron, nickel, cobalt, and their alloys.

The behavior of ferromagnética materials is governed by magnetic domains, which are small regions within the material where all the atomic magnetic moments are aligned. In an unmagnetized state, these domains are randomly oriented, resulting in no net magnetic field. When an external magnetic field is applied, the domains align, leading to strong magnetization.

The Curie temperature is a critical point for ferromagnética materials. Above this temperature, thermal energy overcomes the forces aligning the magnetic moments, and the material loses its ferromagnetic properties, becoming paramagnetic instead. Understanding the properties of ferromagnética materials is fundamental to many areas of physics and engineering.