Anisotropy of the magnetoelectric effect in terbium molybdate

Anisotropy of the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in a single-crystal, single-domain sample of the β′ metastable ferroelectric paramagnetic phase of terbium molybdate Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ was studied experimentally in dc magnetic fields of up to 6 T at temperatures of 4.2 and 1.8 K. It was shown that the existing models of the magnetoelectric effect cannot explain the experimental dependences of magnetic field-induced electric polarization on the direction of the applied magnetic field. A model of the magnetoelectric effect is proposed that qualitatively describes the observed angular dependence of the magnetic field-induced electric polarization.     

Anomalously high photovoltages in terbium molybdate

In terbium molybdate Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ at room temperature, a laser beam of wavelength λ ₁=4880 Å induces an electric polarization that lasts for several days after the irradiation is turned off. The photoinduced polarization has the same sign as the spontaneous polarization. At a laser power of 0.5 W and an exposure time of 4.5 h, the photoinduced polarization exceeds the spontaneous polarization by an order of magnitude. The corresponding electric field is 2.5×10⁶ V/cm. Under the influence of radiation with λ ₁=4880 Å, terbium molybdate luminesces in the green part of the spectrum near λ ₂≈5425 Å. The luminescence quantum yield is 20%.     

Magnetostriction of terbium molybdate in high magnetic field

Magnetostriction and magnetization M of Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ samples are measured at temperatures T = 4.2 and 20 K in fields H up to 14 T directed along the polar axis [001]. Results of the magnetostriction measurements obey the first law of thermodynamics: -MH = TΔS - W_E, where ΔS is the change of the entropy and W_E is the work of internal electric field done when ions move due to the magnetostriction.     

Magnetic and magnetoelectric properties of terbium aluminum borate

The magnetic and magnetoelectric properties of terbium aluminum borate are studied. It is established that temperature dependences of the magnetoelectric effects of terbium aluminum borate are analogous to those of terbium ferroborate, despite the difference in effective magnetic fields acting on rare-earth ions in these compounds. This confirms the general assumption on the decisive role of the rare-earth element in the magnetoelectric properties of borates.     

A high pressure Raman study of terbium molybdate

Abstract

Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ has been studied by Raman spectroscopy under hydrostatic pressure up to 9 GPa at room temperature. The measurements reveal two phase transitions, one at around 2 GPa and another one above 5 GPa. The first phase transition is associated with an increase in the coordination number of Mo while the second is probably a transition to an amorphous phase in which only a wide band originating from Mo-O vibrations remains. This behaviour is irreversible as the Raman spectrum of the initial structure is not recovered at atmospheric pressure.     

Charge contrast of ferroelectric domain walls in ferroelastic terbium molybdate

An extraordinary potential contrast of a plane domain wall forming in the case of excess negative charging of a ferroelastic-ferroelectric Tb₂(MoO₄)₃ sample with a two-domain structure has been detected using a scanning electron microscope. Conditions and features of the formation of this potential contrast (called charge contrast) in the domain wall region are determined. It is shown that the surface is charged at a lower rate in the domain wall region, which is an elastically strained crystal region. The smallest domain wall width determined by the charge-contrast image was 1.6 μm on the average.     

Magnetoelectric effect in samarium molybdate

This paper reports on the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect (MEE) in the orthorhombic ferroelectric ferroelastic β′ phase of samarium molybdate Sm₂(MoO₄)₃ observed in magnetic fields up to 20 T and temperatures from 4.4 to 0.43 K. The magnetic-field-induced electric polarization in Sm₂(MoO₄)₃ is an order of magnitude larger than that in isomorphic Gd₂(MoO₄)₃. This provides support for the magnetostriction mechanism proposed by us for the MEE in rare-earth molybdates. The polarization in Sm₂(MoO₄)₃ was found to fall off with time. The relaxation time constant τ increases with decreasing temperature from τ=10² s at T=4.4 K to τ≈10³ s at T=0.43 K.     

Nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in composite multiferroics

The theoretical and experimental studies of the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect in composite multiferroics in the low-frequency spectral region and in the electromechanical resonance region have been performed. It has been shown that such structures demonstrate a nonlinear magnetoelectric effect, which is quadratic in ac magnetic field strength at weak magnetic fields. In the region of the electromechanical resonance, the resonance excitation of an electric field occurs by means of ac magnetic field at a frequency lower than the resonance frequency by a factor of two. In the low-frequency spectral region, there is a difference of amplitude values of two neighboring voltage maxima due to the superposition of signals from the linear and nonlinear effects, and the difference is proportional to the dc magnetic field strength in weak fields. The results of the experimental study of the two-layer permendur-lead zirconate titanate structure are presented.     

Surface magnetoelectric effect in ferromagnetic metal films

A surface magnetoelectric effect is revealed by density-functional calculations that are applied to ferromagnetic Fe(001), Ni(001), and Co(0001) films in the presence of an external electric field. The effect originates from spin-dependent screening of the electric field which leads to notable changes in the surface magnetization and the surface magnetocrystalline anisotropy. These results are of considerable interest in the area of electrically controlled magnetism and magnetoelectric phenomena.     

Dynamic nuclear polarization and nuclear orientation in terbium vanadate

Dynamic nuclear polarization is a well established technique, which has been used to produce polarized targets for experiments in nuclear physics. This paper suggests new experiments, involving the nuclear magnetic resonance of two isotopes, one stable, the other radioactive, in an antiferromagnet, terbium vanadate. At temperatures well below the Néel point, the line widths should be comparatively small. Resonance may be detected through changes in the rate of gamma-ray emission observed by a nuclear orientation experiment.     

Theory of magnetoelectric effect in double-layer ferromagnetic-piezoelectric structures

A theory of magnetoelectric effect in double-layer ferromagnetic-piezoelectric plate-shape structures is presented. Using the material and motion of continuum equations, an expression for the magnetic coefficient is derived in terms of the parameters characterizing the magnetic and piezoelectric phases. It is shown that in the region of electromagnetic resonance there is a considerable increase in the magnetoelectric coefficient value. A relationship is obtained between the ferromagnetic and piezoelectric thicknesses for which the magnetoelectric coefficient is maximal. The coefficients calculated for the structures based on permendure — plumbum zirconate-titanate are given, and the results of calculations are compared to the experimental data.__________Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 3–6, December 2004.     

Ultralow-frequency magnetoelectric effect in a multilayer ferrite-piezoelectric structure

The magnetoelectric effect is experimentally studied in a multilayer nickel zinc ferrite-lead zirconate titanate structure at frequencies of 10^?3–10 Hz that is placed in a harmonically modulated magnetic field of amplitude to 1 kOe. The nonlinearity of the ferrite magnetostriction and the conductivity of the films are shown to double the frequency and distort the shape of the magnetoelectric voltage. The magnetoelectric signal amplitude decreases linearly with decreasing field modulation frequency. The feasibility of using the magnetoelectric effect to detect ultralow-frequency magnetic fields is demonstrated.     

Parametric magnetoelectric effect in an AC magnetic field

Electric polarization is predicted to occur under the conditions of parametric instability of vibrations of magnetization in a longitudinal high-frequency magnetic field (parametric magnetoelectric effect). The requirements on materials are indicated favoring the observation of this effect. An example of such materials is the easy-plane antiferromagnet Cr₂TeO₆.     

Spin current and magnetoelectric effect in noncollinear magnets

A new mechanism of the magnetoelectric effect based on the spin supercurrent is theoretically presented in terms of a microscopic electronic model for noncollinear magnets. The electric polarization P(ij) produced between the two magnetic moments S(i) and S(j) is given by P proportional e(ij) X (S(i) X S(j)) with e(ij) being the unit vector connecting the sites i and j. Applications to the spiral spin structure and the gauge theoretical interpretation are discussed.     

Size effect study in magnetoelectric BiFeO3 system

In this paper, we report for the first time finite size effects on Néel temperature (T _N) of magnetoelectric BiFeO₃ system. Novel wet chemical route has been developed to produce fine particles of BiFeO₃ with controlled size and size distribution. Unlike other oxide systems, lattice volume contraction has been observed with decrease in particle size. The decrease in T _N is co-related to unit cell volume contraction occurring with reduction in particle size.     

Theory of the magnetoelectric effect in ferromagnetic-piezoelectric heterostructures

A theory of the magnetoelectric effect in ferromagnetic-piezoelectric bilayer structures is considered for platelike samples. The magnetoelectric voltage coefficient is expressed through the parameters characterizing the magnetic and piezoelectric phases. It is shown that the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient considerably increases in the region of electromechanical resonance. The thickness ratio between the ferromagnetic and piezoelectric phases at which the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient is maximum is determined. The calculated magnetoelectric voltage coefficients for Permendur-PZT (lead zirconate titanate) structures are presented and compared with the experimental data.     

Optical magnetoelectric effect in a submicron patterned magnet

The optical magnetoelectric effect, which is a nonreciprocal directional dichroic response, has been demonstrated in a submicron patterned magnet by monitoring the diffracted visible or near-infrared light intensity. An artificial magnetic superstructure is composed of chevron shaped ">" islands made of the ferromagnetic permalloy Ni(80)Fe(20) with a pitch of 1 microm on silicon substrate, in which both space inversion and time reversal symmetry are broken simultaneously. On the basis of the light-polarization angle and magnetic field H dependence, and also comparing the results with the those of the submicron square patterns, we show that the optical magnetoelectric effect emerges as the finite change (approximately 10(-3) at room temperature in H of 500 Oe) of the diffracted intensity.     

The magnetoelectric effect due to local noncentrosymmetry

Magnetoelectrics often possess ions located in noncentrosymmetric surroundings. Based on this fact we suggest a microscopic model of magnetoelectric interaction and show that the spin-orbit coupling leads to spin-dependent electric dipole moments of the electron orbitals of these ions, which results in non-vanishing polarization for certain spin configurations. The approach accounts for the macroscopic symmetry of the unit cell and is valid for both commensurate and complex incommensurate magnetic structures. The model is illustrated by the examples of MnWO(4), MnPS(3) and LiNiPO(4). Application to other magnetoelectrics is discussed.