Thermodynamics of Magnetic Monopoles in Square Spin Ice

Cristiano Nisoli

Published 2020-09-23Version 1

We describe degenerate square spin ice via its magnetic monopoles coupled to an emergent entropic field that subsumes the effect of the underlying spin vacuum. We derive their effective free energy, entropic interaction, correlations and screening. Unlike in pyrochlore ices, a dimensional mismatch between real and entropic interactions leads to weak singularities at the pinch points signaling an algebraic screening, which can be, however, camouflaged by a pseudo-screening regime.