Room temperature multiferroicity in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ exhibits multiferroic behavior at room temperature, with strong coupling between magnetic and electric properties, making it promising for multifunctional device applications.

Contribution

First observation of room temperature multiferroicity in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ with significant magnetoelectric coupling demonstrated through dielectric, ferroelectric, and magnetic measurements.

Findings

Simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic transitions around 600 K.

Remanent polarization suppressed by ~95% under 15 kOe magnetic field at room temperature.

Strong coupling between magnetization and polarization in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$.

Abstract

From the measurement of dielectric, ferroelectric, and magnetic properties we observe simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic transitions around $\sim$600 K in orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$. We also observe suppression of the remanent polarization by $\sim$95\% under a magnetic field of $\sim$15 kOe at room temperature. The extent of suppression of the polarization under magnetic field increases monotonically with the field. These results show that even the orthorhombic LuFeO$_3$ is a room temperature multiferroic of type-II variety exhibiting quite a strong coupling between magnetization and polarization.