Crossover from string to cluster dynamics following a field quench in spin ice

Pal, Sukla; Powell, Stephen

Abstract

We investigate quench dynamics of spin ice after removal of a strong magnetic field along the [100] crystal direction, using Monte Carlo simulations and theoretical arguments. We show how the early time relaxation of the magnetization can be understood in terms of nucleation and growth of strings of flipped spins, in agreement with an effective stochastic model that we introduce and solve analytically. We demonstrate a crossover at longer times to a regime dominated by approximately isotropic clusters, which we characterize in terms of their morphology, and present evidence for a percolation transition as a function of magnetization.

Citation

Pal, S., & Powell, S. (2024). Crossover from string to cluster dynamics following a field quench in spin ice. Physical Review B, 109(9), Article 094427. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.109.094427

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Mar 19, 2024
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Mar 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2024
• Journal: Physical Review B
• Print ISSN: 2469-9950
• Electronic ISSN: 2469-9969
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 109
• Issue: 9
• Article Number: 094427
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.109.094427
• Keywords: Magnetic phase transitions; Percolation; Spin dynamics; Spin ice; Stochastic processes; Classical spin models; Monte Carlo methods
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/32163026
• Publisher URL: https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.109.094427