Title: Emergent reduced dimensionality by vertex frustration in artificial spin ice

Abstract

Reducing the dimensionality of a physical system can have a profound effect on its properties, as in the ordering of low-dimensional magnetic materials, phonon dispersion in mercury chain salts, sliding phases, and the electronic states of graphene. Here we explore the emergence of quasi-one-dimensional behaviour in two-dimensional artificial spin ice, a class of lithographically fabricated nanomagnet arrays used to study geometrical frustration. We extend the implementation of artificial spin ice by fabricating a new array geometry, the so-called tetris lattice. We demonstrate that the ground state of the tetris lattice consists of alternating ordered and disordered bands of nanomagnetic moments. The disordered bands can be mapped onto an emergent thermal one-dimensional Ising model. Furthermore, we show that the level of degeneracy associated with these bands dictates the susceptibility of island moments to thermally induced reversals, thus establishing that vertex frustration can reduce the relevant dimensionality of physical behaviour in a magnetic system.

Authors:

Gilbert, Ian ^[1]; Lao, Yuyang ^[1]; Carrasquillo, Isaac ^[1]; O’Brien, Liam ^[2]; Watts, Justin D. ^[3]; Manno, Michael ^[4]; Leighton, Chris ^[4]; Scholl, Andreas ^[5]; Nisoli, Cristiano  ^[6];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Nisoli, Cristiano"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-0053-1023"

Schiffer, Peter ^[1]

---

+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States). Dept. of Physics and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab.
2. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science; Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics
3. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and School of Physics and Astronomy
4. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
5. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
6. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Theoretical Division and Center for Nonlinear Studies

Publication Date:

Mon Oct 26 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Research Org.:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)

OSTI Identifier:

1377411

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1418755

Report Number(s):

LA-UR-15-25679
Journal ID: ISSN 1745-2473; ark:/13030/qt8g58b8hs; TRN: US1702571

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-05CH11231; SC00170778; AC52-06NA253962; DMR-1420013; AC52-06NA25396

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Nature Physics

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1745-2473

Publisher:

Nature Publishing Group (NPG)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; magnetic properties and materials; statistical physics