Argonne National Laboratory

Research Highlight | Materials Science

Switchable geometric frustration in flux quanta arrays
In a study published in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers demonstrated tailoring of the energy landscape of interacting ​‘particles’ using artificial-spin-ices provides a new paradigm for the design of geometric frustration
Reconfigurable potential landscapes and flux-quantum motion controlled by ASI. Heterostructure consisting of a reconfigurable ASI (interacting nanoscale bar magnets) on top of a superconducting thin film. The dashed arrow points to a magnified image delineating the interaction between a flux quantum (pointing up) in the superconducting layer and the magnetic dipole charges. The attractive and repulsive interactions will be reversed for a flux quantum pointing down.

Scientific Achievement

We created a 2D geometrically frustrated flux quanta system which can be deterministically tuned by a reconfigurable artificial spin ice structure.

Significance and Impact

Manipulation of extensive degeneracy in a novel 2D flux-quanta system leads to the first application of artificial spin-ice in the form of a tunable superconducting critical current and a flux-quantum rectifier.

Research Details

  • Designed a new hetero-structure consisting of a reconfigurable, magnetic-charge-ice structure on top of a superconducting thin film.
  • Geometric frustration can be transformed into a variety of crystallized states with different symmetries using an in-plane magnetic field.

DOI: 10.1038/s41565-018-0162-7

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