Paolo Politi - CNR ISC Firenze	#
Ground state search in artificial spin-ice # 	
Artificial spin-ices are two dimensional arrays of single-domain, Ising 
type magnetic dots, whose size is too large to undergo thermal 
fluctuations. Therefore, they are strongly out-of-equilibrium systems 
whose dynamics are due to the driving magnetic field and to magnetostatic 
interactions among dots.
Square spin-ices have a well defined ground state, in spite of 
frustration. Much work is addressed to understand how the system can be 
driven towards the ground state and how dynamics proceeds under the 
application of a magnetic field. We give some answers, giving a 
description of dynamics in terms of vertex configurations [1] and 
highlighting the importance of disorder and randomness [2]: quenched 
disorder in the system and randomness in the time dependence of the 
driving field.
<br/><br/>
In collaboration with Zoe Budrikis and Robert L. Stamps (University of 
Western Australia and University of Glasgow).
<br/><br/>
[1] Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 107201 (2010).
<br/>
[2] Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 217204 (2011).