Spin-ice physics in cadmium cyanide

Spin-ices are frustrated magnets that support a particularly rich variety of emergent physics. Typically, it is the interplay of magnetic dipole interactions, spin anisotropy, and geometric frustration on the pyrochlore lattice that drives spin-ice formation. The relevant physics occurs at temperatures commensurate with the magnetic interaction strength, which for most systems is 1-5K. Here, we show that non-magnetic cadmium cyanide, Cd(CN)(2), exhibits analogous behaviour to magnetic spin-ices, but does so on a temperature scale that is nearly two orders of magnitude greater. The electric dipole moments of cyanide ions in Cd(CN)(2) assume the role of magnetic pseudospins, with the difference in energy scale reflecting the increased strength of electric vs magnetic dipolar interactions. As a result, spin-ice physics influences the structural behaviour of Cd(CN)(2) even at room temperature. Spin-ice physics in frustrated magnets is constrained by the energy scale of magnetic interactions, which typically translates to temperatures of a few Kelvin. Here, the authors demonstrate that similar physics can be observed in the system of frustrated electric dipoles in Cd(CN)(2) even at room temperature.

Automated summary

Spin-ices are frustrated magnets that exhibit emergent physics at low temperatures, typically around 1-5K. However, non-magnetic cadmium cyanide (Cd(CN)2) shows similar behavior to magnetic spin-ices at a much higher temperature scale, with electric dipole moments of cyanide ions playing the role of magnetic pseudospins. This demonstrates that spin-ice physics can be observed in systems of frustrated electric dipoles, even at room temperature.