Properties of assembly of superparamagnetic nanoparticles in viscous liquid

Detailed calculations of the specific absorption rate (SAR) of a dilute assembly of iron oxide nanoparticles with effective uniaxial anisotropy dispersed in a liquid are performed depending on the particle diameters, the alternating (ac) magnetic field amplitude H₀ and the liquid viscosity. For small and moderate H₀ values with respect to particle anisotropy field H_k the SAR of the assembly as a function of the particle diameter passes through a characteristic maximum and then reaches a plateau, whereas for sufficiently large amplitudes, H₀ ~ H_k, the SAR increases monotonically as a function of diameter. The realization of viscous and magnetic oscillation modes for particle unit magnetization vector and director for moderate and sufficiently large H₀ values, respectively, explains this behavior. It is found that the SAR of the assembly changes inversely with the viscosity only in a viscous mode, for nanoparticles of sufficiently large diameters. In the magnetic mode the SAR of the assembly is practically independent of the viscosity, since in this case the nanoparticle director only weakly oscillates around the ac magnetic field direction. The conditions for the validity of the linear response theory have been clarified by comparison with the numerical simulation data.