We theoretically study origins of the ferroelectricity in the multiferroic phases of the rare-earth (R) Mn perovskites, RMnO3, by constructing a realistic spin model including the spin-phonon coupling, which reproduces the entire experimental phase diagram in the plane of temperature and Mn-O-Mn bond angle for the first time. Surprisingly we reveal a significant contribution of the symmetric (S.S)-type magnetostriction to the ferroelectricity even in a spin-spiral-based multiferroic phase, which can be larger than the usually expected antisymmetric (SxS)-type contribution. This explains well the nontrivial behavior of the electric polarization. We also predict the noncollinear deformation of the E-type spin structure and a wide coexisting regime of the E and spiral states, which resolve several experimental puzzles.
@article{arxiv.1007.1837,
title = {Spin model of magnetostrictions in multiferroic Mn perovskites},
author = {Masahito Mochizuki and Nobuo Furukawa and Naoto Nagaosa},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1007.1837},
year = {2011}
}