Magnetoelectricity and Magnetostriction due to the Rare Earth Moment in TmAl${}_3$(BO${}_3$)${}_4$

Abstract

The magnetic properties, the magnetostriction, and the magnetoelectric effect in the d-electron free rare-earth aluminum borate TmAl${}_3$(BO${}_3$)${}_4$ are investigated between room temperature and 2 K. The magnetic susceptibility reveals a strong anisotropy with the hexagonal c-axis as the hard magnetic axis. Magnetostriction measurements show a large effect of an in-plane field reducing both, the a- and c-axis lattice parameters. The magnetoelectric polarization change in a- and c-directions reaches up to 300 $\mu$C/m${}^2$ at 70 kOe with the field applied along the a-axis. The magnetoelectric polarization is proportional to the lattice contraction in magnetic field. The results of this investigation prove the existence of a significant coupling between the rare earth magnetic moment and the lattice in $R$Al${}_3$(BO${}_3$)${}_4$ compounds ($R$ = rare earth). They further show that the rare earth moment itself will generate a large magnetoelectric effect which makes it easier to study and to understand the origin of the magnetoelectric interaction in this class of materials.

4 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Magnetically driven ferroelectric order in Ni${}_3$V${}_2$O${}_8$
• Magnetoelectric Effect and Spontaneous Polarization in HoFe${}_3$(BO${}_3$)${}_4$ and Ho${}_{0.5}$Nd${}_{0.5}$Fe${}_3$(BO${}_3$)${}_4$
• Simultaneous Antiferromagnetic Fe3+ and Nd3+ Ordering in NdFe3(11BO3)4
• Magnetic structure of the field-induced multiferroic GdFe3(BO3)4

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Giant Magnetoelectric Effect in HoAl_3(BO_3)_4
• Sign change of polarization rotation under either time or space inversion in magnetoelectric YbAl3(BO3)4