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 1–5 K. 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.