Magnetoacoustic surface waves in magnetic crystals near spin-reorientation phase transitions

Theoretical and experimental work on magnetoacoustic surface waves in ferro- and antiferromagnets is reviewed. Results on the propagation of Rayleigh and Lamb magnetoelastic waves in a plate are presented within the framework of a rotation- and translation-invariant theory. Spectra of the shear surface magnetoacoustic waves (SSMAWs) caused by effects of magnetostriction and piezomagnetism are also considered with emphasis on the vicinity of reorientation phase transitions. The problem types of soft modes involved in phase transitions is discussed in detail. A comparison is made of experimental results and theoretical predictions on the propagation of Rayleigh waves in magnetic materials.