Mechanism of exchange striction of ferroelectricity in multiferroic orthorhombic HoMnO3 single crystals

N. Lee*, Y. J. Choi, M. Ramazanoglu, W. Ratcliff, V. Kiryukhin, S. W. Cheong

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

95 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

E-type perovskite magnet HoMnO3 is considered to be a prototype Mn-Mn exchange-striction driven multiferroic. We have grown orthorhombic HoMnO3 single crystals and studied the directional dependence of their electric polarization P. The direction of P is not along the crystallographic a axis, as predicted, but along the c axis. The magnetic state is incommensurate. The direction P along the c axis is primarily induced by Ho-Mn exchange striction, and Mn-Mn striction in the incommensurate spin state leads to an antiferroelectric order along the a axis. We predict the rotation of P with temperature in commensurate E-type RMnO3 (R denotes magnetic rare earth).

Original languageEnglish
Article number020101
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume84
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2011
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation

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