9725844 Halgedahl The P.I. proposes experiments that would establish the links among LEM domain states, remanence, and remanent stability in paleomagnetically significant minerals such as magnetite, titanomagnetite, and hematite. The field of rock magnetism has entered an invigorating era in which magnetic domain experiments and theories are converging in key areas. An elegant example of this convergence is the existence of local energy minimum, or LEM, domain states. LEM domain states immediately suggest a new mechanism for remanence acquisition and stability in fine magnetic particles, such as those carrying the paleomagnetic record in rocks. By this mechanism, remanence would not just be controlled by the pinning of magnetic domain walls at defects, but also by the physical evolution of final LEM states. Likewise, magnetic stability would depend largely on the energies required for transitions to other LEMs. The proposed work will address the linages among these effects. ***
