Observation of ice-rule violation and monopole dynamics via edge nucleation of domain walls in artificial spin ice lattice

•The ice-rule violation is observed.•The random flipping of the bars is controlled.•The path and formation of monopoles can be controlled.•The magnetic charge conservation rule is observed during the monopole dynamics.

In a patterned Co honeycomb spin ice structure, we show that violation in the ice-rule or magnetic monopoles, can be observed during a magnetization reversal process in 430 Oe≤H≤760 Oe magnetic field (H) range. The monopoles are shown to originate from the nucleation of domain walls at the edges, and they hop towards the other edge via the propagation of magnetic domain walls. The paths that the domain walls traveled or the Dirac strings, are shown to increase in length with magnetic fields increment and no random flipping of the bars are observed in the structure.