Coupled magnetic and ferroelectric domains in multiferroic Ni3V2O8

TL;DR

This study demonstrates electric control of multiferroic domains in Ni3V2O8 using polarized neutron diffraction, revealing reversible cycloidal handedness and domain coupling driven by electric fields and magneto-elastic interactions.

Contribution

It provides direct experimental evidence of electric field manipulation of multiferroic domains and elucidates the role of magneto-elastic effects in domain handedness.

Findings

Electric fields can reverse the handedness of cycloidal magnetic domains.

Neutron polarization measurements reveal domain switching under electric fields.

Magneto-elastic interactions induce Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya effects influencing domain behavior.

Abstract

Electric control of multiferroic domains is demonstrated through polarized magnetic neutron diffraction. Cooling to the cycloidal multiferroic phase of Ni3V2O8 in an electric field (E) causes the incommensurate Bragg reflections to become neutron spin polarizing, the sense of neutron polarization reversing with E. Quantitative analysis indicates the E-treated sample has handedness that can be reversed by E. We further show close association between cycloidal and ferroelectric domains through E-driven spin and electric polarization hysteresis. We suggest that definite cycloidal handedness is achieved through magneto-elastically induced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions.