A measure of monopole inertia in the quantum spin ice Yb2Ti2O7

An important and continuing theme of modern solid state physics is the realization of exotic excitations in materials, known as quasiparticles, that have no analogy in the actual physical vacuum of free space. Although they are not fundamental, such quasiparticles do constitute the most basic description of the excited states of the ‘vacuum’ in which they reside. In this regard the magnetic textures of the excited states of spin ices, magnetic …