2008/03/21 by J.-H. Kim, J. -H. Kim, S. -H. Lee +23 · 52 citations
Chemistry · Materials Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Chemistry #Condensed matter physics #Coupling (piping) #Crystallography #Dielectric #Diffraction #Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials #Ferroelectricity #Materials science #Mathematics #Multiferroics #Multiferroics and related materials #Neutron #Neutron diffraction #Nuclear physics #Optics #Optoelectronics #Phase transition #Physics #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spiral (railway) #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.78.245115
published in Physical Review B 78(24) (American Physical Society)
arxiv created 2008/03/21 · openalex publication_date 2008/12/19 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
By combining neutron four-circle diffraction and polarized neutron-diffraction techniques we have determined the complex spin structures of a multiferroic YMn2O5 that exhibits two ferroelectric phases at low temperatures. The obtained magnetic structure has spiral components in both the low-temperature ferroelectric phases that are magnetically commensurate and incommensurate, respectively. Among proposed microscopic theories for the magnetoelectric coupling, our results are consistent with both the spin-current mechanism and the magnetostriction mechanism. Our results also explain why the electric polarization changes at the low-temperature commensurate-to-incommensurate phase transition.