Magnetically induced Ferroelectricity in BiCuO
arXiv:1703.02069 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.96.054424
Abstract
The tetragonal copper oxide BiCuO has an unusual crystal structure with a three-dimensional network of well separated CuO plaquettes. This material was recently predicted to host electronic excitations with an unconventional spectrum and the spin structure of its magnetically ordered state appearing at T 43 K remains controversial. Here we present the results of detailed studies of specific heat, magnetic and dielectric properties of BiCuO single crystals grown by the floating zone technique, combined with the polarized neutron scattering and high-resolution X-ray measurements. Our polarized neutron scattering data show Cu spins are parallel to the plane. Below the onset of the long range antiferromagnetic ordering we observe an electric polarization induced by an applied magnetic field, which indicates inversion symmetry breaking by the ordered state of Cu spins. For the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the tetragonal axis, the spin-induced ferroelectricity is explained in terms of the linear magnetoelectric effect that occurs in a metastable magnetic state. A relatively small electric polarization induced by the field parallel to the tetragonal axis may indicate a more complex magnetic ordering in BiCuO.
References in corpus (5)
- Reply to Comment on "Competition between helimagnetism and commensurate quantum spin correlations in LiCu2O2"
- Hole crystallization in the spin ladder of Sr14Cu24O41
- Switching the Ferroelectric Polarization by External Magnetic Fields in the Spin = 1/2 Chain Cuprate LiCuVO4
- Magnetoelectric effects in the skyrmion host material Cu2OSeO3
- Strong Magneto-elastic coupling in VOCl: Neutron and synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction study