W. A. Moura-Melo

Dynamics and hysteresis in square lattice artificial spin ice

Dynamical effects under geometrical frustration are considered in a model for artificial spin ice on a square lattice in two dimensions. Each island of the spin ice has a three-component Heisenberg-like dipole moment subject to shape anisotropies that influence its direction. The model has real dynamics, including rotation of the magnetic degrees of freedom, going beyond the Ising- type models of spin ice. The dynamics is studied using a Langevin equation solved via a second-order Heun algorithm. Thermodynamic properties such as the specific heat are presented for different couplings. A peak in specific heat is related to a type of melting-like phase transition present in the model. Hysteresis in an applied magnetic field is calculated for model parameters where the system is able to reach thermodynamic equilibrium.

Efficient demagnetization protocol for the artificial triangular spin ice

In this work, we study demagnetization protocols for an artificial spin ice in a triangular geometry. Our results show that a simple hysteresis-like process is very efficient in driving the system to its ground state, even for a relatively strong disorder in the system, confirming previous expectations. In addition, transitions between the magnetized state and the ground state were observed to be mediated by the creation and propagation of vertices that behave like magnetic monopoles pseudo-particles. This is an important step towards a more detailed experimental study of monopole-like excitations in artificial spin ice systems.

Magnetic anisotropy of elongated thin ferromagnetic nano-islands for artificial spin ice arrays

The energetics of thin elongated ferromagnetic nano-islands is considered for some different shapes, aspect ratios and applied magnetic field directions. These nano-island particles are important for artificial spin ice materials. For low temperature, the magnetic internal energy of an individual particle is evaluated numerically as a function of the direction of a particles net magnetization. This leads to estimations of effective anisotropy constants for (1)xa0the easy axis along the particles long direction, and (2)xa0the hard axis along the particles thin direction. A spin relaxation algorithm together with fast Fourier transform for the demagnetization field is used to solve the micromagnetics problem for a thin system. The magnetic hysteresis is also found. The results indicate some possibilities for controlling the equilibrium and dynamics in spin ice materials by using different island geometries.

Magnetic vortex crystal formation in the antidot complement of square artificial spin ice

We have studied ferromagnetic nickel thin films patterned with square lattices of elongated antidots that are negative analogues of square artificial spin ice. Micromagnetic simulations and direct current magnetic moment measurements reveal in-plane anisotropy of the magnetic hysteresis loops, and the formation of a dense array of magnetic vortices with random polarization and chirality. These multiply-connected antidot arrays could be superior to lattices of disconnected nanodisks for investigations of vortex switching by applied electric current.We have proposed in this work an original system composed by anti-dots nanopatterned in a ferromagnetic thin film, mimicking negatively the structure of an articial spin ice. In the hysteresis loop we notice the emergency of an anisotropy in the magnetization saturation and in the micromagnetic simulations, in the beginning of the hysteresis loop (relaxation), the formation of a vortex crystal array with vortices in diferent positions possessing random polarization and chirality. The crystal of vortices in this electrically connected sample could be most eficient than those observed in non-connected nanodiscs for current-driven or magnetic vortices switching by electric currents.

Investigation of ferromagnetic resonance and magnetoresistance in anti-spin ice structures.

In this work, we report experimental and theoretical investigations performed in anti-spin ice structures, composed by square lattice of elongated antidots, patterned in nickel thin film. The magnetic vortex crystal state was obtained by micromagnetic simulation as the ground state magnetization, which arises due to the magnetic stray field at the antidot edges inducing chirality in the magnetization of platters among antidots. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements were utilized to investigate the vortex crystal magnetization dynamics and magnetoelectric response. By using FMR, it was possible to detect the spin wave modes and vortex crystal resonance, in good agreement with dynamic micromagnetic simulation results. The vortex crystal magnetization configuration and its response to the external magnetic field, were used to explain the isotropic MR behaviour observed.

Emergence and mobility of monopoles in a unidirectional arrangement of magnetic nanoislands

Magnetricity, the magnetic equivalent of electricity, was recently verified experimentally for the first time. Indeed, like the stream of electric charges that produces electric current, emergent magnetic monopoles have been observed to roam freely in geometrically frustrated magnets known as spin ice. However, such phenomena demand extreme physical conditions, say, a single spin ice crystal has to be cooled to very low temperature, around 0.36 K. Candidates to overcome this difficulty are their artificial analogues, the so-called artificial spin ices. Here, we demonstrate that a specific unidirectional arrangement of nanoislands yields a peculiar system where magnetic monopoles emerge and are constrained to move along aligned dipoles, providing an ordered flow of magnetic charges at room temperature.

Order and thermalized dynamics in Heisenberg-like square and Kagomé spin ices.

Thermodynamic properties of a spin ice model on a Kagomé lattice are obtained from dynamic simulations and compared with properties in square lattice spin ice. The model assumes three-component Heisenberg-like dipoles of an array of planar magnetic islands situated on a Kagomé lattice. Ising variables are avoided. The island dipoles interact via long-range dipolar interactions and are restricted in their motion due to local shape anisotropies. We define various order parameters and obtain them and thermodynamic properties from the dynamics of the system via a Langevin equation, solved by the Heun algorithm. Generally, a slow cooling from high to low temperature does not lead to a particular state of order, even for a set of coupling parameters that gives well thermalized states and dynamics. At very low temperature, however, square ice is more likely to reach states near the ground state than Kagomé ice, for the same island coupling parameters.

Realization of Rectangular Artificial Spin Ice and Direct Observation of High Energy Topology

In this work, we have constructed and experimentally investigated frustrated arrays of dipoles forming two-dimensional artificial spin ices with different lattice parameters (rectangular arrays with horizontal and vertical lattice spacings denoted by a and b respectively). Arrays with three different aspect ratios γu2009=u2009a/bu2009=u2009

Ferromagnetic resonance and magnetoresistive measurements evidencing magnetic vortex crystal in nickel thin film with patterned antidot array

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