Phenomenological theory of the giant magnetoimpedance of composite wires

Composite wires with a three-layered structure are known to show a particularly large magnetoimpedance effect. The wires consist of a highly conductive core, an insulating layer and an outer ferromagnetic shell. In order to understand the origin of the effect a theory based on a coupling of the Maxwell equations to the Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert equation is suggested. The theory is phenomenological in the sense that it does not account for a domain structure. However, theoretical results nicely reproduce those obtained in various measurements. Furthermore, an upper limit of the magnetoimpedance ratio for a given combination of materials can be determined.