We model the dynamics of magnetization in an artificial analog of spin ice specializing to the case of a honeycomb network of connected magnetic nanowires. The inherently dissipative dynamics is mediated by the emission, propagation and absorption of domain walls in the links of the lattice. These domain walls carry two natural units of magnetic charge, whereas sites of the lattice contain a unit magnetic charge. Magnetostatic Coulomb forces between these charges play a major role in the physics of the system, as does quenched disorder caused by imperfections of the lattice. We identify and describe different regimes of magnetization reversal in an applied magnetic field determined by the orientation of the applied field with respect to the initial magnetization. One of the regimes is characterized by magnetic avalanches with a 1/n distribution of lengths.
@article{arxiv.1112.1857,
title = {Dynamics of artificial spin ice: continuous honeycomb network},
author = {Yichen Shen and Olga Petrova and Paula Mellado and Stephen Daunheimer and John Cumings and Oleg Tchernyshyov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1112.1857},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
19 pages, focus issue of New J. Phys. on artificial frustrated systems, minor clarifications requested by referee