Chaotic dynamics and basin erosion in nanomagnets subject to time-harmonic magnetic fields

Abstract Magnetization dynamics in uniformly magnetized particles subject to time-harmonic (AC) external fields is considered. The study is focused on the behavior of the AC-driven dynamics close to saddle equilibria. It happens that such dynamics has chaotic nature at moderately low power level, due to the heteroclinic tangle phenomenon which is produced by the combined effect of AC-excitations and saddle type dynamics. By using analytical theory for the threshold AC excitation amplitudes necessary to create the heteroclinic tangle together with numerical simulations, we quantify and show how the tangle produces the erosion of the safe basin around the stable equilibria.