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- Title
Switching the spin cycloid in BiFeO<sub>3</sub> with an electric field.
- Authors
Meisenheimer, Peter; Moore, Guy; Zhou, Shiyu; Zhang, Hongrui; Huang, Xiaoxi; Husain, Sajid; Chen, Xianzhe; Martin, Lane W.; Persson, Kristin A.; Griffin, Sinéad; Caretta, Lucas; Stevenson, Paul; Ramesh, Ramamoorthy
- Abstract
Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is a multiferroic material that exhibits both ferroelectricity and canted antiferromagnetism at room temperature, making it a unique candidate in the development of electric-field controllable magnetic devices. The magnetic moments in BiFeO3 are arranged into a spin cycloid, resulting in unique magnetic properties which are tied to the ferroelectric order. Previous understanding of this coupling has relied on average, mesoscale measurements. Using nitrogen vacancy-based diamond magnetometry, we observe the magnetic spin cycloid structure of BiFeO3 in real space. This structure is magnetoelectrically coupled through symmetry to the ferroelectric polarization and this relationship is maintained through electric field switching. Through a combination of in-plane and out-of-plane electrical switching, coupled with ab initio studies, we have discovered that the epitaxy from the substrate imposes a magnetoelastic anisotropy on the spin cycloid, which establishes preferred cycloid propagation directions. The energy landscape of the cycloid is shaped by both the ferroelectric degree of freedom and strain-induced anisotropy, restricting the spin spiral propagation vector to changes to specific switching events. Previous understanding of the coupling between ferroelectric structure and magnetic texture in BiFeO3 has relied on mesoscale measurements. Here, the authors image coupling directly, showing a complex spin cycloid controlled with electric field.
- Subjects
ELECTRIC fields; MAGNETIC structure; DEGREES of freedom; ELECTRIC switchgear; BISMUTH iron oxide; PHOTOVOLTAIC effect
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2024, Vol 15, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-47232-5