  Using Monte Carlo (MC) computer simulations we explore the self-assembly and
ordering behavior of a hybrid, soft magnetic system consisting of small
magnetic nano-spheres in a liquid-crystalline (LC) matrix. Inspired by recent
experiments with colloidal rod-matrices we focus on conditions where the sphere
and rod diameters are comparable. Already in the absence of a magnetic field,
the nematic ordering of the LC can stabilize formation of magnetic chains along
the nematic or smectic director, yielding a state with local (yet no
macroscopic) magnetic order. The chains, in turn, increase the overall nematic
order, reflecting the complex interplay of the structure formation of the two
components. Increasing the sphere diameter the spontaneous uniaxial ordering is
replaced by biaxial lamellar morphologies characterized by alternating layers
of rods and magnetic chains oriented perpendicular to the rod's director. These
novel ordering scenarios at zero field suggest complex response of the
resulting hybrid to external stimuli such as magnetic fields and shear forces.
