Coupled multiferroic domain switching in the canted conical spin spiral system Mn2GeO4
| Autor: | Michel Kenzelmann, Y. Murakami, Tetsuaki Kimura, Laurent Chapon, A. Fennell, B. Roessli, A. B. Harris, Takashi Honda, Oksana Zaharko, Jonathan S. White |
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| Přispěvatelé: | High Energy Accelerator Res Org, Condensed Matter Res Ctr, Inst Mat Struct Sci, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050801, Japan, Osaka Univ, Div Mat Phys, Grad Sch Engn Sci, Toyonaka, Osaka 5608531, Japan, Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging [Paul Scherrer Institute] (LNS), Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), University of Pennsylvania [Philadelphia], Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), ILL, Paul Scherrer Inst, Lab Sci Dev & Novel Mat LDM, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland, Univ Tokyo, Dept Adv Mat Sci, Kashiwa, Chiba 2778561, Japan |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Magnetic domain
Science Physics::Optics General Physics and Astronomy FOS: Physical sciences 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Article Magnetization Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons Condensed Matter::Materials Science 0103 physical sciences Multiferroics 010306 general physics Physics [PHYS]Physics [physics] Multidisciplinary Magnetic structure Condensed matter physics Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) Condensed Matter::Other General Chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Ferroelectricity Polarization density Ferromagnetism 0210 nano-technology Spontaneous magnetization |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications Nature Communications, Nature Publishing Group, 2017, 8, 9 p. ⟨10.1038/ncomms15457⟩ 'Nature Communications ', vol: 8, pages: 15457-1-15457-9 (2017) Nature Communications, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2017) |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | Despite remarkable progress in developing multifunctional materials, spin-driven ferroelectrics featuring both spontaneous magnetization and electric polarization are still rare. Among such ferromagnetic ferroelectrics are conical spin spiral magnets with a simultaneous reversal of magnetization and electric polarization that is still little understood. Such materials can feature various multiferroic domains that complicates their study. Here we study the multiferroic domains in ferromagnetic ferroelectric Mn$_{2}$GeO$_{4}$ using neutron diffraction, and show that it features a double-Q conical magnetic structure that, apart from trivial 180 degree commensurate magnetic domains, can be described by ferromagnetic and ferroelectric domains only. We show unconventional magnetoelectric couplings such as the magnetic-field-driven reversal of ferroelectric polarization with no change of spin-helicity, and present a phenomenological theory that successfully explains the magnetoelectric coupling. Our measurements establish Mn$_{2}$GeO$_{4}$ as a conceptually simple multiferroic in which the magnetic-field-driven flop of conical spin spirals leads to the simultaneous reversal of magnetization and electric polarization. Comment: 25+4 pages, 4+1 figures, 2+2 tables |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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