Topological geometric frustration in a cube-surface artificial spin ice

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel 3D cube-surface artificial spin ice that exhibits topologically protected domain walls and emergent geometric frustration, revealing new physical phenomena not seen in flat spin ice systems.

Contribution

The study develops a 3D cube-surface artificial spin ice platform demonstrating topologically protected domain walls and emergent frustration, advancing understanding of topological effects in magnetic systems.

Findings

Topologically protected domain walls connect cube vertices.

Robust correlations among topological defects observed.

Emergent properties unique to 3D architectures identified.

Abstract

Artificial spin ices provide a controlled platform for investigating diverse physical phenomena, such as geometric frustration, magnetic monopoles, and phase transitions, via deliberate design. Here, we introduce a novel approach by developing artificial spin ice on the surfaces of a three-dimensional cube, which leads to emergent geometric frustration mediated by topologically protected domain walls, distinct from its flat counterparts. These domain walls connect vertices at the corners of cube that acting as intrinsic topological defects. Utilizing Monte Carlo simulations, we observe robust, topologically protected correlations among the intrinsic topological defects, regardless of their spatial separation. Our findings demonstrate that three-dimensional surfaces can unveil emergent properties absent in flat architectures.