Vibrational spectra and elastic,piezoelectric, and magnetoelectric properties of HoFe3(BO3)4 and HoAl3(BO3)4 crystals

Raman spectra of light are obtained for HoFe₃(BO₃)₄ and HoAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystals at various temperatures and are used for determining the frequencies of crystal lattice vibrations at the center of the Brillouin zone. It is also found that the HoFe₃(BO₃)₄ crystal exhibits a phase transition at T _c ≈ 366 K. The magnetoelectric effect in the paramagnetic phase of these compounds is studied experimentally. The lattice vibration frequencies, elastic and piezoelectric moduli, Born dynamic charges, and the high-frequency permittivity are calculated using the density functional method. A peculiar behavior of the transverse acoustic vibration branch is observed in the Γ → Z direction of the Brillouin zone of the HoFe₃(BO₃)₄ crystal. The electric polarization induced by an external field is estimated using the calculated values of piezoelectric moduli and experimental values of magnetostriction.