Space-time parity violation and magnetoelectric interactions in antiferromagnets

The properties of antiferromagnetic materials with violated space-time parity are considered. Particular attention is given to the bismuth ferrite BiFeO₃ ferroelectric magnet. This material is distinguished from other antiferromagnets in that the inversion center is absent in its crystal and magnetic structures. This circumstance gives rise to diversified and unusual properties, namely, to the appearance of a spatially modulated spin structure and to the unique possibility of the linear magnetoelectric effect coexisting with a weak ferromagnetic moment. The magnetic-induced phase transitions accompanied by the suppression of the modulated spin structure and appearance of a number of new and unusual effects are considered. These are the linear magnetoelectric effect and the appearance of a toroidal moment and a weak ferromagnetic moment of the magnetoelectric nature.     

Covalent magnetism, exchange interactions and anisotropy of the high temperature layered antiferromagnet MnB?

The investigation of the electronic structure and magnetism for the compound MnB(2) with crystal structure type AlB(2) has been revisited to resolve contradictions between various experimental and theoretical results present in the literature. We find that MnB(2) exhibits an interesting example of a Kübler's covalent magnetism (Williams et al 1981 J. Appl. Phys. 52 2069). The covalent magnetism also appears to be the source of some disagreement between the calculated values of the magnetic moments and those given by neutron diffraction experiments. We show that this shortcoming is due to the atomic sphere approximation applied in earlier calculations. The application of the disordered local moment approach and the calculation of the inter-atomic exchange interactions within the Liechtenstein formalism reveal strong local moment antiferromagnetism with a high Néel temperature predicted from Monte Carlo simulations. A fully relativistic band structure calculation and then the application of the torque method yields a strong in-plane anisotropy of the Mn magnetic moments. The agreement of these results with neutron diffraction studies rules out any possible weak itinerant electron magnetism scenarios as proposed earlier for MnB(2).     

Predicted magnetoelectric effect in Fe/BaTiO3 multilayers: ferroelectric control of magnetism

An unexplored physical mechanism which produces a magnetoelectric effect in ferroelectric-ferromagnetic multilayers is studied based on first-principles calculations. Its origin is a change in bonding at the ferroelectric-ferromagnet interface that alters the interface magnetization when the electric polarization reverses. Using Fe/BaTiO3 multilayers as a representative model, we show a sizable difference in magnetic moments of Fe and Ti atoms at the two interfaces dissimilar by the orientation of the local electric dipole moments. The predicted magnetoelectric effect opens a new direction to control magnetic properties of thin-film layered structures by electric fields.     

Static observables of relativistic three-fermion systems with instantaneous interactions

We show that static properties like the charge radius and the magnetic moment of relativistic three-fermion bound states with instantaneous interactions can be formulated as expectation values with respect to intrinsically defined wave functions. The resulting operators can be given a natural physical interpretation in accordance with relativistic covariance. We also indicate how the formalism may be generalized to arbitrary moments. The method is applied to the computation of static baryon properties with numerical results for the nucleon charge radii and the baryon octet magnetic moments. In addition, we make predictions for the magnetic moments of some selected nucleon resonances and discuss the decomposition of the nucleon magnetic moments in contributions of spin and angular momentum, as well as the evolution of these contributions with decreasing quark mass.     

Interacting relativistic boson fields in the De Sitter universe with two space-time dimensions

The positive temperature Gibbs state of a scalar boson field with a relativistic local self-interaction in two space-time dimensional Minkowski universe as constructed in [1] is not relativistic invariant. We prove in this paper that the corresponding state in the De Sitter universe is actually relativistic invariant if the temperature is given byT=1/2πR whereR is the constant radius of curvature of the De Sitter universe. Moreover the construction gives that the Schwinger functions or imaginary time Wightman functions are the moments of a generalized Markoff process on the sphere of radiusR.     

多阶有序钙钛矿多铁性材料的高压制备与物性

钙钛矿是研究磁电多铁性最重要的材料体系之一.由于高的结构对称性,在以往的立方钙钛矿晶格中尚未发现多铁现象.另外,现有的单相多铁性材料很难兼容大电极化和强磁电耦合,严重制约多铁性材料的潜在应用.本文简单综述了利用高压高温条件制备的两个多阶有序钙钛矿氧化物的磁电多铁性质.在具有立方晶格的多阶钙钛矿LaMn_3Cr_4O_(12)中,观察到自旋诱导的铁电极化,表明该材料是第一个被发现的具有多铁性的立方钙钛矿体系.在另一个多阶有序钙钛矿BiMn_3Cr_4O_(12)中,随温度降低该材料依次经历了I类多铁相和II类多铁相.正因为这两类不同多铁相的同时出现,BiMn_3Cr_4O_(12)同时展示了大的电极化强度和强的磁电耦合效应,并且通过不同的电场调控可实现四重铁电极化态,为开发多功能自旋电子学器件与多态存储提供了先进的材料基础.     

On the Existence of Pure,Broadband Toroidal Sources in Electrodynamics

Multipoles are paramount for describing electromagnetic fields in many areas of nanoscale optics, playing an essential role in the design of devices in plasmonics and all-dielectric nanophotonics. Challenging the traditional division into electric and magnetic moments, toroidal moments are proposed as a physically distinct family of multipoles with significant contributions to the properties of matter. However, the apparent impossibility of separately measuring their response sheds doubt on their true physical significance. Here, the possibility of selectively exciting toroidal moments is confirmed without any other multipole. A set of general conditions is developed that any current distribution must fulfill to be entirely described by toroidal moments and prove the results in an analytically solvable case. The new theory allows to design and verify experimentally an artificial structure supporting a pure broadband toroidal dipole response in the complete absence of the electric dipole and other “ordinary” multipole contributions. In addition, a structure capable of supporting a novel type of non-radiating source is proposed- a “toroidal anapole,” originating from the destructive interference of the toroidal dipole with the unconventional electromagnetic sources known as mean square radii. The results in this work provide conclusive evidence on the independent excitation of toroidal moments in electrodynamics.     

The physics of magnetoelectric composites

This paper gives an overview about the basic ideas of magnetoelectric materials. Up to now single-phase materials show the magnetoelectric effect only below room temperature. Mixing a magnetostrictive with a piezoelectric component is a way to overcome this limitation. This delivers a composite which can exhibit a magnetoelectric effect even at room temperature and higher. Possible candidates for these composites (piezoelectric as well as magnetostrictive) are shown, examples from literature and own results are given. The most important coupling mechanism (magnetization, magnetostriction, local stress, charge) between the magnetostrictive and the piezoelectric phase are discussed. Hints for a direct coupling between the electric polarization and the magnetization are also presented. Different measurement methods for determining the magnetoelectric coefficient are discussed. Representative results as obtained on a technical useful composite between 50% Co-Ferrite+50% BaTiO₃ are given. The behavior of a simple “mixed” structure with that of a “core-shell” structure is compared. The later gives a 20-times larger magnetoelectric coefficient.     

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)     

Computational design of axion insulators based on 5d spinel compounds

Based on density functional calculation using the local density approximation+U method, we predict that osmium compounds such as CaOs(2)O(4) and SrOs(2)O(4) can be stabilized in the geometrically frustrated spinel crystal structure. They show ferromagnetic order in a reasonable range of the on-site Coulomb correlation U and exotic electronic properties, in particular, a large magnetoelectric coupling characteristic of axion electrodynamics. Depending on U, other electronic phases including a 3D Weyl semimetal and Mott insulator are also shown to occur.     

Optical magnetoelectric effect in multiferroic materials: evidence for a Lorentz force acting on a ray of light

We theoretically propose that the optical analog of a Lorentz force acting on a ray of light is realized in multiferroic materials such as GaFeO3 showing the magnetoelectric effect. The toroidal moment T --> = sigma(j)r(j) x S(j) plays the role of a "vector potential," while its rotation corresponds to a "magnetic field" for photons. Hence, the light is subject to the Lorentz force when propagating through the domain wall region of the ferromagnetic or ferroelectric order. A realistic estimate on the magnitude of this effect is given.     

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.     

Magnetoelectric effect in antiferromagnetic crystals

Magnetoelectric experiments provide information on spin configurations, critical indices and microscopic ionic interactions. The basic theory of the magnetoelectric effect in antiferromagnets is rederived in this article and extended to situations in which there is an external magnetic field including the spin-flop phase. It is found that measurements of the magnetoelectric tensor α as a function of field in the antiferromagnetic and spin-flop phases of an antiferromagnet can provide more complete information in all three categories above. Certain higher-order terms are examined and it is found that it is possible to measure the staggered susceptibility directly in magnetoelectric materials. It is shown that a non-zero value of α causes a tetragonal antiferromagnet to be optically biaxial. A pedagogical discussion of the origins of magnetoelectric effects is given in the Appendix.     

Phonon mechanism of the antiferromagnetic photogalvanic effect

The phonon mechanism of generation of photogalvanic current in centroantisymmetric tetragonal antiferromagnets with magnetic symmetry excluding the occurrence of a toroidal momentum is considered. It is demonstrated that photocurrent can be caused by scattering of charge carriers by phonons with a polarization other than longitudinal. The polarization of the phonons involved in scattering is determined by the long-range part of the electron-phonon interaction induced by polarization of the lattice due to the magnetoelectric effect. Conditions are given for the observation of photogalvanic current in easy-axis antiferromagnets.     

Amorphisation in solid metallic systems

The formation of amorphous alloys by a solid state reaction without any rapid quenching is reviewed. The crystal to glass transition is driven by the large negative heat of mixing of the crystalline reactants. Kinetic constraints assure the formation of an amorphous phase instead of the crystalline equilibrium phases. A comparison with other recently developed methods, like ion beam mixing, and a comparison of some physical properties between differently prepared amorphous alloys of the same composition are given.     

Calculated electronic and magnetic structure of UNi2Al3 and UPd2Al3

The electronic band structure of UNi₂Al₃ and UPd₂Al₃ is calculated in the local spin-density functional approximation using the self-consistent scalar relativistic ASW-method including spin-orbit coupling. The chemical bond is discussed qualitatively and an explanation is given for the small observed magnetic moments ofU in terms of nearly compensating spin and orbital moments. Calculated total energies are used to discuss a number of possible ground state magnetic-moment configurations.     

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.     

Interfacial electronic structure and magnetoelectric effect in M/BaTiO3 (M=Ni,Fe) superlattices

Using first-principles density functional theory, we investigate the interfacial electronic structure and magnetoelectric effect in M/BaTiO₃ (M=Ni, Fe) superlattices, and find a novel type of interfacial magnetoelectric coupling mechanism in the Ni/BaTiO₃ interface. This magnetoelectric effect is determined by the change of magnetic moments on Ni atoms near the interface, instead of the induced moments on interfacial Ti atoms in Fe/BaTiO₃ system, which is also distinguished from the spin-polarized carriers screening mechanism. The underlying physics is the strong interface bonding and the pdσ-type magnetic interactions between Ni 3d and O 2p spins. Furthermore, there exists an extraordinary intralayer oscillation of magnetic moments within the Ni layers, which may be observed in experiments.     

The definition of multipole moments for extended bodies

There is considerable freedom in the definition of multipole moments of the energy-momentum tensor of an extended body in general relativity. By studying the corresponding Newtonian theory we obtain guidelines which enable us to choose the most suitable definitions in the relativistic theory. In this way we find two sets, the complete moments and the reduced moments, of which the latter are the most natural choice for studying the dynamics of extended bodies. Expressions as explicit integrals are give for both sets, and the multipole equations of motion of the body are given in a form exact to all orders. Proofs of the relativistic results will appear elsewhere. Presented at the International Conference on Gravitation and Relativity, Copenhagen, July 1971.