Frequency comb in a macroscopic mechanomagnetic artificial spin ice

Artificial spin ices (ASI) are geometric arrangements of magnetic nanoparticles that exhibit frustration, which can be reproduced at the macroscale using permanent magnets mounted on hinges. However, the dynamics of macroscopic ASIs are completely different, due to their coupled magnetic and mechanical degrees of freedom. Upon dynamic excitation, a macroscopic system enters a nonlinear regime leading to the emergence of a frequency comb: a spectrum of discrete, equally spaced frequency components. This phenomenon is attributed to a Hopf bifurcation. Perhaps similar nonlinear behaviors could be engineered in nanoscale ASIs by integrating microresonators.