Room temperature spin-ice physics in cadmium cyanide

Abstract

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--5\,K. This low energy scale poses severe challenges for experimental studies of spin-ices and the practical exploitation of their unusual properties. 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 \emph{vs} magnetic dipolar interactions. As a result, spin-ice physics influences the structural behaviour of Cd(CN)$_2$ even at room temperature.