Weak ferromagnetism and magnetoelectric coupling in bismuth ferrite

Abstract

We analyze the coupling between the ferroelectric and magnetic order parameters in the magnetoelectric multiferroic BiFeO_3 using density functional theory within the local spin density approximation and the LSDA+U method. We show that weak ferromagnetism of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya type occurs in this material, and we analyze the coupling between the resulting magnetization and the structural distortions. We explore the possibility of electric-field-induced magnetization reversal and show that, although it is unlikely to be realized in BiFeO_3, it is not in general impossible. Finally we outline the conditions that must be fulfilled to achieve switching of the magnetization using an electric field.

4 pages, 2 figures, uses revtex4, to be published

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Influence of strain and oxygen vacancies on the magnetoelectric properties of multiferroic bismuth ferrite
• First principles study of the multiferroics BiFeO${}_3$, Bi${}_2$FeCrO${}_6$, and BiCrO${}_3$: Structure, polarization, and magnetic ordering temperature