Ferroelectric charge order stabilized by antiferromagnetism in multiferroic LuFe2O4

TL;DR

This study reveals how antiferromagnetic order stabilizes ferroelectric charge order in LuFe2O4, linking magnetic and electric properties through neutron diffraction analysis.

Contribution

It demonstrates the role of antiferromagnetism in stabilizing charge order and influencing electric polarization in multiferroic LuFe2O4.

Findings

Increased ferroelectric charge order with magnetic domain changes

Transition from paramagnetic 2D to AFM 3D charge order

Magnetic order affects charge dynamics and polarization

Abstract

Neutron diffraction measurements on multiferroic LuFe2O4 show changes in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure characterized by wavevector q = (1/3 1/3 1/2) as a function of electric field cooling procedures. The increase of intensity from all magnetic domains and the decrease in the 2D magnetic order observed below the Neel temperature are indicative of increased ferroelectric charge order. The AFM order changes the dynamics of the CO state, and stabilizes it. It is determined that the increase in electric polarization observed at the magnetic ordering temperature is due to a transition from paramagnetic 2D charge order to AFM 3D charge order.