Effect of magnetic field and temperature on the ferroelectric loop in MnWO4

The ferroelectric properties of MnWO4 single crystal have been investigated. Despite a relatively low remanent polarization, we show that the sample is ferroelectric. The shape of the ferroelectric loop of MnWO4 strongly depends on magnetic field and temperature. While its dependence does not directly correlate with the magnetocapacitance effect before the paraelectric transition, the effect of magnetic field on the ferroelectric polarization loop supports magnetoelectric coupling.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, first report on ferroelectric loop in MnWO

Magnetophononics: ultrafast spin control through the lattice

Using a combination of first-principles and magnetization-dynamics calculations, we study the effect of the intense optical excitation of phonons on the magnetic behavior in insulating magnetic materials. Taking the prototypical magnetoelectric \CrO\ as our model system, we show that excitation of a polar mode at 17 THz causes a pronounced modification of the magnetic exchange interactions through a change in the average Cr-Cr distance. In particular, the quasi-static deformation induced by nonlinear phononic coupling yields a structure with a modified magnetic state, which persists for the duration of the phonon excitation. In addition, our time-dependent magnetization dynamics computations show that systematic modulation of the magnetic exchange interaction by the phonon excitation modifies the magnetization dynamics. This temporal modulation of the magnetic exchange interaction strengths using phonons provides a new route to creating non-equilibrium magnetic states and suggests new avenues for fast manipulation of spin arrangements and dynamics.Comment: 11 pages with 7 figure

Strain and ferroelectric soft mode induced superconductivity in strontium titanate

We investigate the effects of strain on superconductivity with particular reference to SrTiO$_3$. Assuming that a ferroelectric mode that softens under tensile strain is responsible for the coupling, an increase in the critical temperature and range of carrier densities for superconductivity is predicted, while the peak of the superconducting dome shifts towards lower carrier densities. Using a Ginzburg-Landau approach in 2D, we find a linear dependence of the critical temperature on strain: if the couplings between the order parameter and strains in different directions differ while their sum is fixed, different behaviours under uniaxial and biaxial (uniform) strain can be understood.Comment: 5 + 3 pages; 3 + 2 figure

First-principles study of ferroelectric domain walls in multiferroic bismuth ferrite

We present a first-principles density functional study of the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of the ferroelectric domain walls in multiferroic BiFeO3. We find that domain walls in which the rotations of the oxygen octahedra do not change their phase when the polarization reorients are the most favorable, and of these the 109 degree domain wall centered around the BiO plane has the lowest energy. The 109 degree and 180 degree walls have a significant change in the component of their polarization perpendicular to the wall; the corresponding step in the electrostatic potential is consistent with a recent report of electrical conductivity at the domain walls. Finally, we show that changes in the Fe-O-Fe bond angles at the domain walls cause changes in the canting of the Fe magnetic moments which can enhance the local magnetization at the domain walls.Comment: 9 pages, 20 figure

Temperature-Dependent Magnetoelectric Effect from First Principles

We show that nonrelativistic exchange interactions and spin fluctuations can give rise to a linear magnetoelectric effect in collinear antiferromagnets at elevated temperatures that can exceed relativistic magnetoelectric responses by more than 1 order of magnitude. We show how symmetry arguments, ab initio methods, and Monte Carlo simulations can be combined to calculate temperature-dependent magnetoelectric susceptibilities entirely from first principles. The application of our method to Cr2O3 gives quantitative agreement with experiment.

Ferrodistortive instability at the (001) surface of half-metallic manganites

We present the structure of the fully relaxed (001) surface of the half-metallic manganite La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, calculated using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Two relevant ferroelastic order parameters are identified and characterized: The tilting of the oxygen octahedra, which is present in the bulk phase, oscillates and decreases towards the surface, and an additional ferrodistortive Mn off-centering, triggered by the surface, decays monotonically into the bulk. The narrow d-like energy band that is characteristic of unrelaxed manganite surfaces is shifted down in energy by these structural distortions, retaining its uppermost layer localization. The magnitude of the zero-temperature magnetization is unchanged from its bulk value, but the effective spin-spin interactions are reduced at the surface.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure