Switching of antiferromagnetic states in LiCoPO${}_4$ as investigated via the magnetoelectric effect

Abstract

The linear magnetoelectric (ME) effect allows for the selection or switching between two antiferromagnetic (AFM) states via the application of large electric ($E$) and magnetic ($H$) fields. Once an AFM state is selected, it is preserved by an energy barrier, even when the fields are removed. Using a simple phenomenological model, we find that this energy barrier, needed to switch the AFM state, is proportional to the product of the $E$ and $H$ coercive fields $(EH{)}_{\mathrm{C}}$. We measured the field and temperature dependence of $(EH{)}_{\mathrm{C}}$ in LiCoPO${}_4$ for two different field configurations, and the data show the temperature variation of $(EH{)}_{\mathrm{C}}\sim (T_{\mathrm{N}}-T{)}^{3/2}$ in good agreement with the model. We also investigated the dynamics of the AFM domain switching using pulsed $E$-field measurements. It was found that the coercive field $(EH{)}_{\mathrm{C}}$ follows a power-law frequency dependence and is well described in the framework of Ishibashi-Orihara model, implying 1-dimensional character of domain wall propagation.

main + supplementary, 9+5 pages, 7+4 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Spin current and magneto-electric effect in non-collinear magnets
• Spin-polarization coupling in multiferroic transition-metal oxides
• Towards a microscopic theory of toroidal moments in bulk periodic crystals
• Magnetoelectric spectroscopy of spin excitations in LiCoPO4

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Electric field driven flat bands: Enhanced magnetoelectric and electrocaloric effects in frustrated quantum magnets
• Antiferromagnetic multi-level memristor using linear magnetoelectricity
• Imaging antiferromagnetic domains in LiCoPO${}_4$ via the optical magnetoelectric effect
• On flat bands in the $J_1$-$J_2$-$J_3$ XXZ sawtooth chain