Textured heterogeneity in square artificial spin ice

Authors

• J. C.T. Lee, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• S. K. Mishra, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• V. S. Bhat, University of Kentucky
• R. Streubel, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryFollow
• B. Farmer, University of Kentucky
• X. Shi, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• L. E. De Long, University of Kentucky
• I. McNulty, Argonne National Laboratory
• P. Fischer, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryFollow
• S. D. Kevan, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• S. Roy, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

1-7-2019

Citation

PHYSICAL REVIEW B 99, 024406 (2019)

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.99.024406

Comments

©2019 American Physical Society. Used by per mission.

Abstract

We report evidence of spontaneous formation of a heterogeneous network of superdomains in two-dimensional square artificial spin ice nanostructures in externally applied magnetic fields. Coherent resonant soft-x-ray scattering from such textures gives rise to unique internal structure in Bragg peaks. The magnetic heterogeneity is locally disordered but has a zigzag texture at longer length scales. Our result suggests that the macroscopic magnetic texture is derived from the microscopic structure of the Dirac strings.