Magnetic rare earths R have been proven to have a significant effect on the
multiferroic properties of the orthorhombic manganites RMnO3. A re-examination
of previous results from synchrotron based x-ray scattering experiments
suggests that symmetric exchange striction between neighboring R and Mn ions
may account for the enhancement of the ferroelectric polarization in DyMnO3 as
well as the magnetic-field induced ferroelectricity in GdMnO3. In general,
adding a second magnetic species to a multiferroic material may be a route to
enhance its ferroelectric properties.Comment: Contribution to ICM 2009; accepted for publication in Journal of
Physics: Conference Serie