Magnetoelastic-magnetoelectric phase transitions in multiferroic BiFeO3

SAT Redfern, C Wang, JW Hong, G Catalan… - arXiv preprint arXiv …, 2008 - arxiv.org
SAT Redfern, C Wang, JW Hong, G Catalan, JF Scott
arXiv preprint arXiv:0806.3241, 2008arxiv.org
Our measured dielectric constant and mechanical response of multiferroic BiFeO3 indicate
four phase transitions below room temperature. Features correlate with those reported at
50K (from a peak in the zero-field-cooled magnetic susceptibility) and 230K (from splitting
between field-cooled and zero-field-cooled magnetic data [1], and 200K (from magnon light
scattering cross sections [2]). The primary order parameter is not the polarization in any of
the low-T transitions. Instead, the transition near 230 K shows strong elastic coupling, while …
Our measured dielectric constant and mechanical response of multiferroic BiFeO3 indicate four phase transitions below room temperature. Features correlate with those reported at 50K (from a peak in the zero-field-cooled magnetic susceptibility) and 230K (from splitting between field-cooled and zero-field-cooled magnetic data[1], and 200K (from magnon light scattering cross sections[2]). The primary order parameter is not the polarization in any of the low-T transitions. Instead, the transition near 230 K shows strong elastic coupling, while that at 50K is fundamentally magnetic, but magnetostrictively coupled to the the lattice. The low-T phase transitions display glassy behaviour. A further anomaly at 140K interpreted as spin reorientation[2,3] shows only weakly in dielectric and mechanical studies, indicating that it is predominantly magnetic with little coupling to any of the other order parameters.
arxiv.org