Abstract
The antisymmetric exchange interaction of Dzialoshinski and Moriya is nonvanishing in the vicinity of lattice defects. In antiferromagnetic materials this can result in a structure‐sensitive parasitic ferromagnetism. In ferromagnetic materials there is nonparallel spin alignment which influences magnetization processes. The influence of the Dzialoshinski‐Moriya interaction upon the approach to saturation gives magnetic hardness terms and for high density of defects parasitic paramagnetism above apparent saturation. This interaction can be used to treat stabilization of domain wall positions and initial permeability. It should also be important as a loss mechanism in transferring energy from a coherent magnetic mode to incoherent modes. Simple one‐dimensional calculations are used for illustration.