Using zero-temperature Monte Carlo simulations we have studied the magnetic hysteresis in a three-dimensional Ising model with nearest-neighbor exchange and dipolar interaction. The average magnetization of spins located inside a sphere on a cubic lattice is determined as a function of magnetic field varied periodically. The simulations have justified the appearance of hysteresis and allowed us to have a deeper insight into the series of metastable states developed during this process.

• Received 6 April 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.58.5584