Magnetic-field-induced toroidal moment in the magnetoelectric Cr2O3

The appearance of a toroidal moment is observed in the magnetoelectric Cr₂O₃ in a strong magnetic field above the spin-flop transition field. This conclusion is based on the experimentally established fact that the off-diagonal components of the magnetoelectric susceptibility tensor of Cr₂O₃ contains an antisymmetric part that is dual to the toroidal moment. Therefore it has been shown that the magnetoelectric Cr₂O₃ in the spin-flop phase can be classified as a toroic. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 69, No. 4, 302–306 (25 February 1999)     

NMR excitation by an electric field as a dynamic manifestation of magnetoelectric and antiferroelectric interactions

The possibility of excitation of NMR signals by an ac electric field in magnetically ordered crystals is discussed. Such signals can be recorded using the time-dependent component of the electric polarization vector. It is assumed that the electric and magnetic characteristics are coupled to each other through magnetoelectric and antiferroelectric interactions. Several types of magnetic structures are analyzed in which these interactions are not forbidden by symmetry. Such structures include two-sublattice single-position ferro-and antiferromagnetic phases in centrosymmetrical crystals, two-sublattice magnetic crystals without a center of symmetry (such as KNiPO₄), and four-sublattice antiferromagnetic crystals with three types of antiferromagnetism vectors (such as Cr₂O₃ and α-Fe₂O₃).     

Exchange bias in thin-film (Co/Pt)3/Cr2O3 multilayers

We have fabricated exchange-biased Co/Pt layers ((0.3 nm/1.5 nm)×3) on (0 0 1)-oriented Cr₂O₃ thin films. The multilayered films showed extremely smooth surfaces and interfaces with root mean square roughness of ≈0.3 nm for 10 μm×10 μm area. The Cr₂O₃ films display sufficient insulation with a relative low leakage current (1.17×10⁻² A/cm² at 380 MV/m) at room temperature which allowed us to apply electric field as high as 77 MV/m. We find that the sign of the exchange bias and the shape of the hysteresis loops of the out-of-plane magnetized Co/Pt layers can be delicately controlled by adjusting the magnetic field cooling process through the Néel temperature of Cr₂O₃. No clear evidence of the effect of electric field and the electric field cooling was detected on the exchange bias for fields as high as 77 MV/m. We place the upper bound of the shift in exchange bias field due to electric field cooling to be 5 Oe at 250 K.     

Enhanced multiferroic characteristics in Fe-doped Bi4Ti3O12 ceramics

Modification of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ multiferroic ceramics prepared by a conventional solid state reaction method were investigated by substituting Ti partly with Fe. The introduction of Fe does not change the layered perovskite structure of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂. Upon increasing Fe content, the remnant polarization of the samples is enhanced. The magnetism of the ceramics at room temperature develops from diamagnetism to weak ferromagnetism with increasing Fe doping. The largest variations of 15% and 6% in remnant polarization and magnetization, achieved in a Bi₄Ti₁Fe₂O_12?δ sample after poling it in a magnetic field at 1 T and a DC electric field at 30 kV/cm for 10 min, are evidence of magnetoelectric coupling between the electric dipoles and magnetic dipoles at room temperature. The present results suggest a new candidate for a room temperature multiferroic material with enhanced properties.     

Studies on multiferroic materials in high magnetic fields

In this article, studies on the magnetoelectric effects of multiferroic materials in high magnetic fields, particularly pulsed magnetic fields, are discussed and results for some representative materials are presented. In the discussions on representative materials, the relationship between the crystallographic symmetry and the linear magnetoelectric effect in Cr₂O₃ is introduced. Then drastic changes in polarization caused by magnetic transitions are discussed through a case study of manganites with a perovskite-type structure. In addition, high field studies on the magnetoelectric effects in BiFeO₃, which is an exceptional multiferroic material, are presented and discussed in the framework of the Landau-Ginzburg theory.     

Magnetoelectric effect in perovskite quantum paraelectric EuTiO3

On the basis of successful theoretical explanation of the observed large magnetic-field effect (by ∼7% with 1.5 T) on the dielectric constant below the Néel temperature T_N of 5.5 K, we have demonstrated convincingly the magnetoelectric effect in an antiferromagnetic quantum paraelectric EuTiO₃ system. The mutual control of electric and magnetic properties is revealed by the variation of the electric-field-induced polarization with applied magnetic fields as well as the change of the magnetic-field-induced spin moments under the control of electric fields. It is found that the applied electric field (magnetic field) acts like a fictitious magnetic field (electric field) on the EuTiO₃ system. The magnetoelectric susceptibility is deduced to be proportional to the product of the magnetization, electrical polarization, magnetic susceptibility and dielectric susceptibility.     

Magnetoelectric coupling in antiferroelectric and magnetic laminate composites

We researched the properties of magnetoelectric composites between antiferroelectric Pb_0.94La_0.04(Zr_0.55Sn_0.3Ti_0.15)O₃ and magnetic Terfenol-D. The magnetic field enhances the electric field-induced strain and polarization of the composite. The magnetic moment induced by the electric field increases at the electromechanical resonance frequency because the antiferroelectric ceramics exhibit ferroelectric behaviors under a high electric field. The induced magnetic moment increases with decreasing thickness ratio and shows a hysteresis loop with the bias magnetic field. Due to the antiferroelectric characteristics, it also shows a hysteresis loop with the bias electric field, which could be used in the magnetic switch controlled by electricity.     

单相ABO3型多铁材料的磁电耦合及磁电性质研究

实验发现多铁性钙钛矿物质YMnO₃和BiMnO₃在接近磁有序相变温度时,其介电常数和正切损失会出现异常,这些现象说明在物质的磁性和介电性质之间存在耦合.通过对系统磁性和铁电性之间可能磁电耦合方式的分析,考虑在系统哈密顿量中加入与自旋关联和极化相关的耦合项,对铁电子系统应用软模理论,对磁性运用基于海森伯模型的量子平均场近似,研究了外磁场诱导的极化、介电的变化和外电场诱导的磁化的变化等,并将以上结果与实验进行了比较和分析,较为合理地解释了一些多铁钙钛矿物质中的磁电现 关键词： 多铁 磁电耦合 铁电 铁磁     

Electric polarization memory effect in a magnetoelectric multiferroic CuFe1−xGaxO2

Magnetic oxide CuFeO₂ is a magnetoelectric multiferroic with new type of spin–polarization coupling different from that in the spin-current mechanism, where magnetic field-induced or nonmagnetic impurity-induced proper helical magnetic ordering generates a spontaneous electric polarization parallel to the helical axis. Using a CuFe_1−xGa_xO₂ sample with x=0.035, in which the single ferroelectric phase is realized below T_N8 K in zero magnetic field unlike CuFe_1−xAl_xO₂, we have performed pyroelectric current, thermally stimulated current (TSC) and polarized neutron diffraction measurements to study a memory effect that the electric polarization is partially preserved even for 2nd-cooling from above T_N without poling electric field. It was found that the charge trapped during 1st-cooling with poling electric field, which is released as TSC on heating, plays an important role in the memory effect.     

Mn3TeO6 – a new multiferroic material with two magnetic substructures

From magnetic susceptibility, dielectric permittivity, electric polarization and specific heat measurements we discover spin‐induced ferroelectricity and magnetoelectric coupling in Mn₃TeO₆ and observe two successive magnetic transitions at low temperatures. A non‐ferroelectric intermediate magnetic state occurs below 23 K and a multiferroic ground state emerges below 21 K. Moreover, Mn₃TeO₆ is a candidate for a multiferroic material where two types of incommensurate spin structures, cycloidal and helical, coexist. Theoretically, both spin substructures may contribute to the macro electric polarization via different mechanisms. This could open new ways of manipulating the ferroelectric polarization in a multiferroic material. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of MnFe2O4/(Pb0.8Sr0.2)TiO3 composite films

Abstract

MnFe₂O₄/(Pb_0.8Sr_0.2)TiO₃ (MFO/PST20) heterostructured composite films with three different structures have been grown on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates by metal–organic decomposition processing via spin coating technique. The structural analysis revealed that the crystal axes of the MnFe₂O₄ are aligned with those of the PST20 ferroelectric matrix with obvious interfaces and no diffusions exist in all the three composite films. These composite films exhibit simultaneously multiferroic and magnetoelectric responses at room temperature. The growth structure of MFO and PST20 layers has an effect on multiferroic and magnetoelectric coupling behaviours of the composite films. The bi- and four-layered MFO/PST20 composite films exhibit superior ferroelectric properties compared to the tri-layered film. The increasing MFO and PST20 layers in the composite films enhance ferromagnetic properties and are closely related to the strain release in MnFe₂O₄ phase. The MFO/PST20 bi-layered composite film shows a high magnetoelectric voltage co-efficient α_E ~ 194 mVcm^?1Oe^?1 at a dc magnetic field H_dc ~ 2.5 kOe. A significant decrease in α_E value has been observed for tri- and four- layered composite films. A close correlation between phase selective residual stress and magnetoelectric properties has been emerged. The results are reasonably encouraging for employing MnFe₂O₄ for growing multiferroic–magnetoelectric composite films.     

Spin pumping in a composite high overtone bulk acoustic wave resonator

A new way of generating a pure spin current using a magnetoelectric composite high-overtone bulk acoustic-wave resonator (HBAR) based on a layered Al–ZnO–Al–Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂–Y₃Fe₅O₁₂–Pt structure is proposed. It is established that the efficiency of generating the rf magnetic field driving the spin current by this method exceeds that of sources which use surface acoustic waves for the excitation of magnetic dynamics and is not inferior to the efficiency of usual electromagnetic ways of exciting a pure spin current that employ microwave cavities.     

1-3型纳米多铁复合薄膜中电场诱导的磁化研究

运用Landau-Devonshire热力学唯像理论,考虑铁电相和铁磁相的电致伸缩、磁致伸缩效应以及产生于铁电/铁磁和薄膜/基底界面的弹性应力作用,两次重整介电和磁作用系数得到了这种多铁系统在Landau自由能函数下的本征二次方磁电耦合形式,从而研究了外延1-3型纳米多铁复合薄膜中极化、磁化随薄膜厚度、温度的变化以及该薄膜中外加电场诱导的磁化变化.结果表明薄膜平面内的应压力的弛豫使得磁化强度和极化强度随薄膜厚度的增加而减少,外加电场不仅能诱导铁电相极化场翻转,而且由于铁电和铁磁相界面竖直方向的弹性耦合导致 关键词： 多铁 磁电效应 磁致伸缩 薄膜     

Magnetoelectric behavior in the complex CaMn7O12 perovskite

We report a magnetoelectric effect in the double perovskite CaMn₇O₁₂, that shows a complex magnetic behavior below 90 K with two magnetic phases coexisting (one ferrimagnetic and the other modulated). A second magnetic transition, associated with changes in the magnetic modulation and magnetic ordering coherence lengths of the two magnetic phases occurs at 50 K (T_N2). A detailed structural characterization of this compound, that we have carried out by means of high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction, reveals an anisotropic thermal expansion of its lattice parameters at 50 K (T_N2). In addition, our study of the complex permittivity of this sample as a function of temperature, frequency and magnetic field shows very interesting results below 90 K and specially below 50 K: the dielectric constant ε′_r that was decreasing continuously on cooling experiences an upturn, and even more, on application of a magnetic field it shows a moderate magnetoelectric response. We attribute such dielectric behavior to the formation of electric dipoles by magnetostriction in this charge and spin ordered system, that are sensible to the presence of an external magnetic field.     

Domain-based magnetoelectric studies for single crystals of chromium oxide

As is well known, the sign of parallel magnetoelectric susceptibility for chromium oxide can be positive or negative both depending on prehistory of the sample, but it is always opposite to the perpendicular susceptibility. In order to explain this behaviour, the concept of antiferromagnetic domains depending on the existence of two possibilities spin orientation in a magnetic unit cell was invoked both by Rado and Astrov. The authors have carried out detailed studies of domain-based magnetoelectric effect for Cr₂O₃ and the results are presented in this communication. Investigations were carried out both for static and dynamic effect. For static measurements the dielectric constant method developed earlier has been used. The domain pattern in the sample is altered by cooling in simultaneous presence of different electric (E) and magnetic (B) fields from paramagnetic state to the ordered state, and the magnetoelectric susceptibility evaluated. From the measurements it is concluded that the deciding parameter of magnetoelectric susceptibility if product of fields EB for low fields as reported by Martin and Anderson. For high fields, the electric field seems to play a more significant role, and magnetoelectric susceptibility is a function of E²B used for cooling. Static measurements are also extended to low temperatures for parallel susceptibility for the sample with largest magnetoelectric susceptibility. In the temperature range used (90 K to room temperature) the change in susceptibility observed is not very significant, a fact which is hard to explain. Data about the effect of variation of cooling rate and step function cooling is also presented, and it is concluded, though not in a definite manner, that rectangular step function cooling is as effective as continuous rate cooling in deciding magnetoelectric susceptibility of the sample.For dynamic studies, again the dielectric constant method is used, and measurements are reported at different frequencies for a sample with possibly a large number of domains. Two resonant peaks in the dielectric constant are observed and they are tentatively explained on the basis of domain wall resonance.     

2-2型磁电复合薄膜CoFe2O4/Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3静磁耦合

运用溶胶-凝胶法在Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si基片上旋涂制备了2-2型CoFe₂O₄/Pb(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)O₃磁电复合薄膜．制备的磁电薄膜结构为基片/PZT/CFO/PZT*/CFO/PZT,通过改变中间层PZT*溶胶的浓度,改变磁性层间距以及静磁耦合的大小．SEM结果表明,复合薄膜结构致密,呈现出界面清晰平整的多层结构．制备的复合薄膜具有较好的铁电与铁磁性能．实验还研究了静磁耦合对薄膜磁电性能的影响,结果表明,随着复合薄膜磁性层间距的减小,静磁耦合效应的增加,磁电电压系数有逐渐增大的趋势.     

Effect of Gd-Mn exchange on phase transitions in GdMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> induced by a strong magnetic field

Complex studies of the magnetic, magnetoelectric, and magnetoelastic properties of GdMn₂O₅ single crystals in strong pulsed magnetic fields are carried out in order to obtain additional indirect information on the character of the rare-earth and manganese spin ordering. It is shown that magnetic ordering of Gd³⁺ spins affects the manganese sublattice spin orientation and initiates new magnetic phase transitions. The observed magnetoelectric properties of the GdMn₂O₅ system are interpreted in terms of the theory of phase transitions.     

Effect of electric field on NMR spectra in centroantisymmetric antiferromagnets

A symmetry approach is used to study the influence of electric field E on the NMR frequency spectrum of antiferromagnets of the rhombohedral (Cr₂O₃) and tetragonal (e.g., the Fe₂TeO₆ trirutiles) systems exhibiting a linear magnetoelectric (ME) effect. The latter originates from the presence in their magnetic structure of an antisymmetry center $\bar 1'$ . It is shown that besides the trivial effect of E on the NMR frequency through the total magnetization induced by the ME phenomenon, there also exists an independent mechanism of a direct action of electric field on the local field at the nuclei, which can, in particular, produce an additional NMR frequency splitting. The dependence of this effect on the exchange magnetic structure and orientational state is considered.     

Relativistic analysis of magnetoelectric crystals: Extracting a new 4-dimensional P odd and T odd pseudoscalar from Cr2O3 data

Earlier, the linear magnetoelectric effect of chromium sesquioxide Cr₂O₃ has been determined experimentally as a function of temperature. One measures the electric field-induced magnetization on Cr₂O₃ crystals or the magnetic field-induced polarization. From the magnetoelectric moduli of Cr₂O₃ we extract a 4-dimensional relativistic invariant pseudoscalar . It is temperature dependent and of the order of ∼¹⁰⁻⁴Y₀, with Y₀ as vacuum admittance. We show that the new pseudoscalar is odd under parity transformation and odd under time inversion. Moreover, is for Cr₂O₃ what Tellegen's gyrator is for two port theory, the axion field for axion electrodynamics, and the PEMC (perfect electromagnetic conductor) for electrical engineering.     

La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/BaTiO3复合薄膜的制备及其电致磁电效应研究

使用脉冲激光沉积技术,在LaAlO₃(001)单晶基片上制备了La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃(LSMO)/BaTiO₃(BTO)双层薄膜.X射线衍射分析显示,LSMO层和BTO层呈现纯(001)取向.原子力显微镜研究表明,薄膜表面晶粒大小均匀,排列致密,表面均方根粗糙度为1.4 nm.复合薄膜的磁学、电学性能研究表明,其具有良好的磁学和介电性能.电输运测试显示,与在BTO层上施加正方向 关键词： 磁电效应 铁电/铁磁异质结构 脉冲激光沉积