Magneto-optical Kerr effect studies of square artificial spin ice

K. K. Kohli, Andrew L. Balk, Jie Li, Sheng Zhang, Ian Gilbert, Paul E. Lammert, Vincent H. Crespi, Peter Schiffer, Nitin Samarth

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report a magneto-optical Kerr effect study of the collective magnetic response of artificial square spin ice, a lithographically defined array of single-domain ferromagnetic islands. We find that the anisotropic interisland interactions lead to a nonmonotonic angular dependence of the array coercive field. Comparisons with micromagnetic simulations indicate that the two perpendicular sublattices exhibit distinct responses to island edge roughness, which clearly influence the magnetization reversal process. Furthermore, such comparisons demonstrate that disorder associated with roughness in the island edges plays a hitherto unrecognized but essential role in the collective behavior of these systems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number180412
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume84
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 28 2011
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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