Magnetic structure of the field-induced multiferroic GdFe3(BO3)4

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetic structures of GdFe3(BO3)4 under various conditions, revealing temperature-dependent incommensurate and commensurate phases, spin reorientations, and field-induced polarization effects using resonant x-ray scattering.

Contribution

It provides detailed insights into the magnetic phase transitions and structures of GdFe3(BO3)4 under temperature and magnetic field variations, highlighting new magnetic configurations.

Findings

Gd moments order at TN ~ 37 K with incommensurate structure

Transition to commensurate magnetic phase at T ~ 10 K

Field-induced polarization involves Gd moments rotated ~45 degrees and Fe moments with a ferromagnetic component

Abstract

We report a magnetic x-ray scattering study of the field-induced multiferroic GdFe3(BO3)4. Resonant x-ray magnetic scattering at the Gd LII,III edges indicates that the Gd moments order at TN ~ 37 K. The magnetic structure is incommensurate below TN, with the incommensurability decreasing monotonically with decreasing temperature until a transition to a commensurate magnetic phase is observed at T ~ 10 K. Both the Gd and Fe moments undergo a spin reorientation transition at TSR ~ 9 K such that the moments are oriented along the crystallographic c axis at low temperatures. With magnetic field applied along the a axis, our measurements suggest that the field-induced polarization phase has a commensurate magnetic structure with Gd moments rotated ~45 degrees toward the basal plane, which is similar to the magnetic structure of the Gd subsystem observed in zero field between 9 and 10 K, and the Fe subsystem has a ferromagnetic component in the basal plane.