Artificial ices enable the study of geometrical frustration by design and through direct observation. However, it has proven difficult to achieve tailored long-range ordering of their diverse configurations, limiting both fundamental and applied research directions. We designed an artificial spin structure that produces a magnetic charge ice with tunable long-range ordering of eight different configurations. We also developed a technique to precisely manipulate the local magnetic charge states and demonstrate write-read-erase multifunctionality at room temperature. This globally reconfigurable and locally writable magnetic charge ice could provide a setting for designing magnetic monopole defects, tailoring magnonics, and controlling the properties of other two-dimensional materials.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1605.06209,
title = {Rewritable Artificial Magnetic Charge Ice},
author = {Yong-Lei Wang and Zhi-Li Xiao and Alexey Snezhko and Jing Xu and Leonidas E. Ocola and Ralu Divan and John E. Pearson and George W. Crabtree and Wai-Kwong Kwok},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1605.06209},
year = {2016}
}