Effective temperature in an interacting, externally driven, vertex system: theory and experiment on artificial spin ice

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Physical Review Letters

OSTI ID:971278

Nisoli, Cristiano ^[1]; Li, Jiie ^[2]; Ke, Xianglin ^[3]; Lammert, Paul E ^[3]; Schiffer, Peter ^[3]; Crespi, Vincent H ^[3]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory
2. PENNEYLVANIA STATE UNIV.
3. PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV.

Frustrated arrays of interacting single-domain nanomagnets provide important model systems for statistical mechanics, because they map closely onto well-studied vertex models and are amenable to direct imaging and custom engineering. Although these systems are manifestly athermal, they demonstrate that the statistical properties of both hexagonal and square lattices can be described by an effective temperature based on the magnetostatic energy of the arrays. This temperature has predictive power for the moment configurations and is intimately related to how the moments are driven by an oscillating external field.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 971278
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-09-06366; LA-UR-09-6366; PRLTAO; TRN: US1001146
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
SPIN
STATISTICAL MECHANICS
PHYSICS
LANL