1,880 research outputs found
Disorder regimes and equivalence of disorder types in artificial spin ice
The field-induced dynamics of artificial spin ice are determined in part by
interactions between magnetic islands, and the switching characteristics of
each island. Disorder in either of these affects the response to applied
fields. Numerical simulations are used to show that disorder effects are
determined primarily by the strength of disorder relative to inter-island
interactions, rather than by the type of disorder. Weak and strong disorder
regimes exist and can be defined in a quantitative way.Comment: The following article has been submitted to J. Appl. Phys. After it
is published, it will be found at http://link.aip.org/link/?ja
Diversity enabling equilibration: disorder and the ground state in artificial spin ice
We report a novel approach to the question of whether and how the ground
state can be achieved in square artificial spin ices where frustration is
incomplete. We identify two types of disorder: quenched disorder in the island
response to fields and disorder in the sequence of driving fields. Numerical
simulations show that quenched disorder can lead to final states with lower
energy, and disorder in the driving fields always lowers the final energy
attained by the system. We use a network picture to understand these two
effects: disorder in island responses creates new dynamical pathways, and
disorder in driving fields allows more pathways to be followed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Vertex dynamics in finite two dimensional square spin ices
Local magnetic ordering in artificial spin ices is discussed from the point
of view of how geometrical frustration controls dynamics and the approach to
steady state. We discuss the possibility of using a particle picture based on
vertex configurations to interpret time evolution of magnetic configurations.
Analysis of possible vertex processes allows us to anticipate different
behaviors for open and closed edges and the existence of different field
regimes. Numerical simulations confirm these results and also demonstrate the
importance of correlations and long range interactions in understanding
particle population evolution. We also show that a mean field model of vertex
dynamics gives important insights into finite size effects.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor changes to text and figures. Accepted
to Phys. Rev. Let
Coupled transport in rotor models
Acknowledgement One of us (AP) wishes to acknowledge S. Flach for enlightening discussions about the relationship between the DNLS equation and the rotor model.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Dipolar ground state of planar spins on triangular lattices
An infinite triangular lattice of classical dipolar spins is usually
considered to have a ferromagnetic ground state. We examine the validity of
this statement for finite lattices and in the limit of large lattices. We find
that the ground state of rectangular arrays is strongly dependent on size and
aspect ratio. Three results emerge that are significant for understanding the
ground state properties: i) formation of domain walls is energetically favored
for aspect ratios below a critical valu e; ii) the vortex state is always
energetically favored in the thermodynamic limit of an infinite number of
spins, but nevertheless such a configuration may not be observed even in very
large lattices if the aspect ratio is large; iii) finite range approximations
to actual dipole sums may not provide the correct ground sta te configuration
because the ferromagnetic state is linearly unstable and the domain wall energy
is negative for any finite range cutoff.Comment: Several short parts have been rewritten. Accepted for publication as
a Rapid Communication in Phys. Rev.
Negative Temperature States in the Discrete Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation
We explore the statistical behavior of the discrete nonlinear Schroedinger
equation. We find a parameter region where the system evolves towards a state
characterized by a finite density of breathers and a negative temperature. Such
a state is metastable but the convergence to equilibrium occurs on astronomical
time scales and becomes increasingly slower as a result of a coarsening
processes. Stationary negative-temperature states can be experimentally
generated via boundary dissipation or from free expansions of wave packets
initially at positive temperature equilibrium.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Emergence of chaotic behaviour in linearly stable systems
Strong nonlinear effects combined with diffusive coupling may give rise to
unpredictable evolution in spatially extended deterministic dynamical systems
even in the presence of a fully negative spectrum of Lyapunov exponents. This
regime, denoted as ``stable chaos'', has been so far mainly characterized by
numerical studies. In this manuscript we investigate the mechanisms that are at
the basis of this form of unpredictable evolution generated by a nonlinear
information flow through the boundaries. In order to clarify how linear
stability can coexist with nonlinear instability, we construct a suitable
stochastic model. In the absence of spatial coupling, the model does not reveal
the existence of any self-sustained chaotic phase. Nevertheless, already this
simple regime reveals peculiar differences between the behaviour of finite-size
and that of infinitesimal perturbations. A mean-field analysis of the truly
spatially extended case clarifies that the onset of chaotic behaviour can be
traced back to the diffusion process that tends to shift the growth rate of
finite perturbations from the quenched to the annealed average. The possible
characterization of the transition as the onset of directed percolation is also
briefly discussed as well as the connections with a synchronization transition.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Journal of Physics
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