Spin-Reorientation-Driven Linear Magnetoelectric Effect in Topological Antiferromagnet Cu$_3$TeO$_6$

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how magnetic-field-induced spin reorientation in Cu$_3$TeO$_6$ leads to a linear magnetoelectric effect, revealing the importance of spin reorientation in understanding magnetoelectric phenomena in topological antiferromagnets.

Contribution

It shows that magnetic-field-induced spin reorientation is crucial for the linear magnetoelectric effect in Cu$_3$TeO$_6$, combining experimental and phenomenological approaches.

Findings

Magnetic field induces transition from nonpolar to polar magnetic structures.

Symmetry breaking due to magnetic field affects Dirac points in Cu$_3$TeO$_6$.

Cu$_3$TeO$_6$ is a promising platform for spintronics-related phenomena.

Abstract

The search for new materials for energy-efficient electronic devices has gained unprecedented importance. Among the various classes of magnetic materials driving this search are antiferromagnets, magnetoelectrics, and systems with topological spin excitations. Cu$_3$TeO$_6$ is a material that belongs to all three of these classes. Combining static electric polarization and magnetic torque measurements with phenomenological simulations we demonstrate that magnetic-field-induced spin reorientation needs to be taken into account to understand the linear magnetoelectric (ME) effect in Cu$_3$TeO$_6$. Our calculations reveal that the magnetic field pushes the system from the nonpolar ground state to the polar magnetic structures. However, nonpolar structures only weakly differing from the obtained polar ones exist due to the weak effect that the field-induced breaking of some symmetries has on the calculated structures. Among those symmetries is the $PT$ ($\overline{1}'$) symmetry, preserved for Dirac points found in Cu$_3$TeO$_6$. Our findings establish Cu$_3$TeO$_6$ as a promising playground to study the interplay of spintronics-related phenomena.