Electromagnon Resonances in the Optical Response of Spiral Magnets

TL;DR

This paper investigates electromagnon resonances in spiral magnets, revealing their origin in magnetoelectric responses and potential to produce optical rotation and negative refractive index effects.

Contribution

It demonstrates that electromagnon features in spiral magnets are due to resonant magnetoelectric responses independent of ferroelectricity, expanding understanding of their optical properties.

Findings

Electromagnons cause peaks in optical absorption.

Magnetoelectric response can lead to optical rotation.

Potential for negative refractive index behavior.

Abstract

The optical response of spiral magnets is studied, with special attention to its electromagnon features. We show that these features trace back to the resonant magnetoelectric response resulting from the spiral ordering (irrespective of any concomitant ferroelectricity). This response, being magnetoelectric in nature, not always can be reduced to an effective electric permittivity. We argue that electromagnons in spiral magnets can produce, in addition to the observed peaks in the optical absorption of multiferroics, a (dynamically enhanced) optical rotation and a negative refractive index behavior.