Abstract
Magnetic monopoles have been proposed as emergent quasiparticles in pyrochlore spin ice compounds. However, unlike semiconductors and two-dimensional electron gases where the charge degree of freedom can be actively controlled by chemical doping, interface modulation, and electrostatic gating, there is as of yet no analogue of these effects for emergent magnetic monopoles. To date, all experimental investigations have been limited to large ensembles comprised of equal numbers of monopoles and antimonopoles in bulk crystals. To address these issues, we propose the formation of a two-dimensional magnetic monopole gas (2DMG) with a net magnetic charge, confined at the interface between a spin ice and an isostructural antiferromagnetic pyrochlore iridate and whose monopole density can be controlled by an external field. Our proposal is based on Monte Carlo simulations of the thermodynamic and transport properties. This proposed 2DMG should enable experiments and devices which can be performed on magnetic monopoles, akin to two-dimensional electron gases in semiconductor heterostructures.
Highlights
Magnetic monopoles have been proposed as emergent quasiparticles in pyrochlore spin ice compounds
The exchange field between the iridate and the spin ice has a non-zero flux flowing toward/away from the spin ice, resulting in a charged 2DMG in the adjacent layers of the spin ice. Such boundary conditions are reminiscent of the polar discontinuity at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 which hosts a two-dimensional electron gas[14,15], and inspired by recent theoretical proposals suggesting the surface crystallization of magnetic monopole and antimonopoles at the material/vacuum interface of spin ice thin films[16,17]
When the exchange field is sufficiently strong (i.e., Jdf > 2 Jeff), the interface tetrahedra will adopt an AI/AO configuration, forcing the spin ice to adopt a fully polarized state to avoid the formation of monopoles
Summary
Magnetic monopoles have been proposed as emergent quasiparticles in pyrochlore spin ice compounds. All experimental investigations have been limited to large ensembles comprised of equal numbers of monopoles and antimonopoles in bulk crystals To address these issues, we propose the formation of a two-dimensional magnetic monopole gas (2DMG) with a net magnetic charge, confined at the interface between a spin ice and an isostructural antiferromagnetic pyrochlore iridate and whose monopole density can be controlled by an external field. Such boundary conditions are reminiscent of the polar discontinuity at the interface between LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 which hosts a two-dimensional electron gas[14,15], and inspired by recent theoretical proposals suggesting the surface crystallization of magnetic monopole and antimonopoles at the material/vacuum interface of spin ice thin films[16,17] Such a heterostructure represents an example of a magnetically charged monopole system, providing a unique opportunity to investigate their properties. We demonstrate that the 2DMG remains robust even when including longer-ranged dipolar interactions
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