Flexomagnetoelectric effect in bismuth ferrite

TL;DR

This paper explores the flexomagnetoelectric effect in bismuth ferrite, highlighting its analogy to liquid crystal flexoelectricity and providing theoretical estimates that match experimental polarization jumps at critical magnetic fields.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for the flexomagnetoelectric polarization in bismuth ferrite, demonstrating its consistency with experimental observations.

Findings

Theoretical estimations align with observed polarization jumps (~20 μC/m^2).

Flexomagnetoelectric polarization is induced by spin modulation.

Analogy between magnetoelectric and liquid crystal flexoelectric effects is established.

Abstract

There is a profound analogy between inhomogeneous magnetoelectric effect in multiferroics and flexoelectric effect in liquid crystals. This similarity gives rise to the flexomagnetoelectric polarization induced by spin modulation. The theoretical estimations of flexomagnetoelectric polarization agree with the value of jumps of polarization in magnetoelectric dependences (~20muC/m^2) observed at spin cycloid suppression at critical magnetic field 200kOe.