Abstract
Artificial spin ices are nanoscale geometrically engineered systems that mimic the behavior of bulk spin ices at room temperature. We describe the nanoscale magnetic interactions in a square spin ice lattice by an experimentally verified model that accounts for the correct shape of the magnetic islands. Magnetic force microscopy measurements on lithographically fabricated lattices are compared to Monte Carlo simulations of the reversal process of two lattices with different lattice spacings. Lattice node statistics and correlations show significant differences in the reversal mechanism for lattices with different spacings. The effect of structural variations is also compared for the two lattice reversals.
Highlights
Along with experimental work on artificial spin ices, considerable efforts have been directed at the development of interaction models that provide information about the type of order in the system
Experimental magnetic force microscopy (MFM) observations of magnetization reversal as a function of lattice spacing are compared with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations by means of node statistics and magnetization pattern correlations
The experimental lattice consists of stadia, but we present results for the prism shape since it is the closest shape to a stadium for which a complete analytical interaction energy can be computed
Summary
Along with experimental work on artificial spin ices, considerable efforts have been directed at the development of interaction models that provide information about the type of order in the system (short range or long range). The experimental lattice consists of stadia, but we present results for the prism shape since it is the closest shape to a stadium for which a complete analytical interaction energy can be computed. For lattice spacings larger than about 5a, the dipolar approximation becomes reasonably good, whereas for close separations it underestimates the energy by as much as a factor of two
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