Magnetotransport of connected artificial spin ice

Abstract

Artificial spin ices are mesoscopic arrays of interacting single-domain ferromagnetic nanoislands or nanowires. With Ising-like behavior of individual magnetic moments, artificial spin ice has been utilized to investigate geometrically frustrated systems like spin ice, a class of magnetic pyrochlore oxides. Here I detail measurements of the magnetotransport response of connected artificial spin ice to varying temperatures and magnetic fields. In the literature, transport measurements have been used simply as a tool to probe the behavior of connected artificial spin ice. Here I demonstrate that connected artificial spin ice possesses fascinating intrinsic magnetotransport properties. I describe first the interplay between artificial spin ice transport and another magnetic phenomenon, exchange bias. Afterwards, I detail systematic transport measurements for different magnetic field directions, revealing that the vertices of connected artificial spin ice control facets of the transport features.