Kagome spin ice

TL;DR

This paper introduces kagome spin ice, a highly frustrated ferromagnetic model, analyzing its ground state entropy and phase behavior under various interactions and fields using analytical and Monte Carlo methods.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed study of kagome spin ice, revealing complex phase structures and the role of thermal fluctuations in stabilizing diverse magnetic states.

Findings

Massive ground state entropy quantified.

Identification of partially ordered phases with mixed order-disorder sublattices.

Thermal fluctuations stabilize various magnetic structures.

Abstract

A new model of localized highly frustrated ferromagnetism is presented: kagome spin ice. By use of analytical and Monte Carlo calculations its massive groundstate entropy is evaluated. Monte Carlo calculations are also used to explore the phases in the presence of further-neighbor interactions and applied fields. The importance of thermal spin fluctuations and their ability to stabilize a variety of magnetic structures is clearly manifested. Remarkably, some of these phases are only partially ordered and present both disordered and ordered sublattices.