Coupling of magnetic and ferroelectric hysteresis by a multi-component magnetic structure in Mn2GeO4

Abstract

The olivine compound Mn2GeO4 is shown to feature both a ferroelectric polarization and a ferromagnetic magnetization that are directly coupled and point along the same direction. We show that a spin spiral generates ferroelectricity (FE), and a canted commensurate order leads to weak ferromagnetism (FM). Symmetry suggests that the direct coupling between the FM and FE is mediated by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions that exist only in the ferroelectric phase, controlling both the sense of the spiral rotation and the canting of the commensurate structure. Our study demonstrates how multi-component magnetic structures found in magnetically-frustrated materials like Mn2GeO4 provide a new route towards functional materials that exhibit coupled FM and FE.

Supplementary material available on request, or at publisher website

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Coupled multiferroic domain switching in the canted conical spin spiral system Mn${}_2$GeO${}_4$
• Stress-induced magnetic domain selection reveals a conical ground state for the multiferroic phase of Mn2GeO4