Chiral nature of magnetic monopoles in artificial spin ice

Micromagnetic properties of monopoles in artificial kagome spin ice systems are investigated using numerical simulations. We show that micromagnetics brings additional complexity into the physics of these monopoles that is, by essence, absent in spin models: besides a fractionalized classical magnetic charge, monopoles in the artificial kagome ice are chiral at remanence. Our simulations predict that the chirality of these monopoles can be controlled without altering their charge state. This chirality breaks the vertex symmetry and triggers a directional motion of the monopole under an applied magnetic field. Our results also show that the choice of the geometrical features of the lattice can be used to turn on and off this chirality, thus allowing the investigation of chiral and achiral monopoles.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Non-universality of artificial frustrated spin systems

Magnetic frustration effects in artificial kagome arrays of nanomagnets with out-of-plane magnetization are investigated using Magnetic Force Microscopy and Monte Carlo simulations. Experimental and theoretical results are compared to those found for the artificial kagome spin ice, in which the nanomagnets have in-plane magnetization. In contrast with what has been recently reported, we demonstrate that long range (i.e. beyond nearest-neighbors) dipolar interactions between the nanomagnets cannot be neglected when describing the magnetic configurations observed after demagnetizing the arrays using a field protocol. As a consequence, there are clear limits to any universality in the behavior of these two artificial frustrated spin systems. We provide arguments to explain why these two systems show striking similarities at first sight in the development of pairwise spin correlations.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

360 degree domain wall generation in the soft layer of magnetic tunnel junctions

High spatial resolution X-ray photo-emission electron microscopy technique has been used to study the influence of the dipolar coupling taking place between the NiFe and the Co ferromagnetic electrodes of micron sized, elliptical shaped magnetic tunnel junctions. The chemical selectivity of this technique allows to observe independently the magnetic domain structure in each ferromagnetic electrode. The combination of this powerful imaging technique with micromagnetic simulations allows to evidence that a 360 degree domain wall can be stabilized in the NiFe soft layer. In this letter, we discuss the origin and the formation conditions of those 360 degree domain walls evidenced experimentally and numerically

Differential effects of inhibitory G protein isoforms on G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ currents in adult murine atria.

G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels are the major inwardly rectifying K+ currents in cardiac atrial myocytes and an important determinant of atrial electrophysiology. Inhibitory G protein α-subunits can both mediate activation via acetylcholine but can also suppress basal currents in the absence of agonist. We studied this phenomenon using whole cell patch clamping in murine atria from mice with global genetic deletion of Gαi2, combined deletion of Gαi1/Gαi3, and littermate controls. We found that mice with deletion of Gαi2 had increased basal and agonist-activated currents, particularly in the right atria while in contrast those with Gαi1/Gαi3 deletion had reduced currents. Mice with global genetic deletion of Gαi2 had decreased action potential duration. Tissue preparations of the left atria studied with a multielectrode array from Gαi2 knockout mice showed a shorter effective refractory period, with no change in conduction velocity, than littermate controls. Transcriptional studies revealed increased expression of GIRK channel subunit genes in Gαi2 knockout mice. Thus different G protein isoforms have differential effects on GIRK channel behavior and paradoxically Gαi2 act to increase basal and agonist-activated GIRK currents. Deletion of Gαi2 is potentially proarrhythmic in the atria.We thank the British Heart Foundation (RG/15/15/31742) and the Intramural Research Program of the NIH (project Z01ES101643) for funding this research. D.M. was supported by a grant from la Fédération Française de Cardiologie

Indirect localization of a magnetic domain wall mediated by quasi walls

International audienceThe manipulation of magnetic domain walls in thin films and nanostructures opens new opportunities for fundamental and applied research. But controlling reliably the position of a moving domain wall still remains challenging. So far, most of the studies aimed at understanding the physics of pinning and depinning processes in the magnetic layer in which the wall moves (active layer). In these studies, the role of other magnetic layers in the stack has been often ignored. Here, we report an indirect localization process of 180° domain walls that occurs in magnetic tunnel junctions, commonly used in spintronics. Combining Scanning Transmission X-Ray Microscopy and micromagnetic simulations, magnetic configurations in both layers are resolved. When nucleating a 180° domain wall in the active layer, a quasi wall is created in the reference layer, atop the wall. The wall and its quasi wall must then be moved or positioned together, as a unique object. As a mutual effect, a localized change of the magnetic properties in the reference layer induces a localized quasi wall in the active layer. The two types of quasi walls are shown to be responsible for an indirect localization process of the 180° domain wall in the active layer

Energy levels of interacting curved nano-magnets in a frustrated geometry: increasing accuracy when using finite difference methods

The accuracy of finite difference methods is related to the mesh choice and cell size. Concerning the micromagnetism of nano-objects, we show here that discretization issues can drastically affect the symmetry of the problem and therefore the resulting computed properties of lattices of interacting curved nanomagnets. In this paper, we detail these effects for the multiaxe kagome lattice. Using the Oommf finite difference method, we propose an alternative way of discretizing the nanomagnet shape via a variable moment per cell scheme. This method is shown to be efficient in reducing discretization effects.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Artificial Kagome Arrays of Nanomagnets: A Frozen Dipolar Spin Ice

Magnetic frustration effects in artificial kagome arrays of nanomagnets are investigated using x-ray photoemission electron microscopy and Monte Carlo simulations. Spin configurations of demagnetized networks reveal unambiguous signatures of long range, dipolar interaction between the nanomagnets. As soon as the system enters the spin ice manifold, the kagome dipolar spin ice model captures the observed physics, while the short range kagome spin ice model fails.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl