Related papers: Dual nature of improper ferroelectricity in a magn…
There has been tremendous research activity in the field of magneto-electric (ME) multiferroics after Kimura et al. [1] showed that antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric order coexist in orthorhom- bically distorted perovskite TbMnO3 and are…
Within the broad class of multiferroics (compounds showing a coexistence of magnetism and ferroelectricity), we focus on the subclass of "improper electronic ferroelectrics", i.e. correlated materials where electronic degrees of freedom…
Multiferroics, showing simultaneous ordering of electrical and magnetic degrees of freedom, are remarkable materials as seen from both the academic and technological points of view. A prominent mechanism of multiferroicity is the…
We present the microscopic theory of improper multiferroicity in BiMnO3, which can be summarized as follows: (1) the ferroelectric polarization is driven by the hidden antiferromagnetic order in the otherwise centrosymmetric C2/c structure;…
Multiferroics, where two or more ferroic order parameters coexist, is one of the hottest fields in condensed matter physics and materials science[1-9]. However, the coexistence of magnetism and conventional ferroelectricity is physically…
Magneto-electric multiferroics exemplified by TbMnO3 possess both magnetic and ferroelectric long-range order. The magnetic order is mostly understood, whereas the nature of the ferroelectricity has remained more elusive. Competing models…
In rhombohedral CaMn7O12, an improper ferroelectric polarization of magnitude 2870 {\mu}C m-2 is induced by an incommensurate helical magnetic structure that evolves below TN1 = 90 K. The electric polarization was found to be constrained to…
By means of first-principles simulations, we unambiguously show that improper ferroelectricity in magnetite in the low-temperature insulating phase is driven by charge-ordering. An accurate comparison between monoclinic ferroelectric Cc and…
Improper ferroelectrics are described by two order parameters: a primary one, driving a transition to long-range distortive, magnetic or otherwise non-electric order, and the electric polarization, which is induced by the primary order…
We investigate the electronic structure and the ferroelectric properties of the recently discovered multiferroic ScFeO$_3$ by means of ab-initio calculations. The $3d$ manifold of Fe in the half-filled configuration naturally favors an…
Using a joint approach of density functional theory and model calculations, we demonstrate that a prototypical charge ordered half-doped manganite, La$_{1/2}$Ca$_{1/2}$MnO$_3$ is multiferroic. The combination of a peculiar charge-orbital…
We uncover a new pathway towards multiferroicity, showing how magnetism can drive ferroelectricity without relying on inversion symmetry breaking of the magnetic ordering. Our free-energy analysis demonstrates that any commensurate…
Based on ab initio density functional theory, we have investigated a microscopic mechanism that leads to Fe$^{2+}_{B}$/Fe$^{3+}_{B}$ dimerization and consequent ferroelectricity in charge ordered Fe$_{3}$O$_{4}$ with $P2$ symmetry. In…
Orthorhombic HoMnO3 is a multiferroic in which Mn antiferromagnetic order induces ferroelectricity. A second transition occurs within the multiferroic phase, in which a strong enhancement of the ferroelectric polarization occurs…
Ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials possess spontaneous electric and magnetic order, respectively, which can be switched by the corresponding applied electric and magnetic fields. Multiferroics combine these properties in a single…
Recent interests towards novel functionalities arising at domain walls of ferroic materials naturally call for a microscopic understanding. To this end, first-principles calculations have been performed in order to provide solid evidence of…
Although multiferroics have undergone extensive examination for several decades, the occurrence of ferroelectricity induced by orbital order is only scarcely documented. In this study, we propose the existence of spontaneous ferroelectric…
Piezo-magnetoelectric effect, namely simultaneous induction of both the ferromagnetic moment and electric polarization by an application of uniaxial stress, was achieved in the non-ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic ground state of…
Magnetoelectric multiferroics are highly sought after for applications in low-power electronics and for advancing fundamental research, including axion insulators and dark matter detection. However, achieving a combination of ferroic spin…
We present a unique example of giant magnetoelectric effect in a conventional multiferroic HoMnO3, where polarization is very large (~56 mC/m2) and the ferroelectric transition temperature is higher than the magnetic ordering temperature by…