Magnetic-field-induced polarization flop in multiferroic TmMnO

Fukunaga, Mamoru*; Sakamoto, Yuma*; Kimura, Hiroyuki*; Noda, Yukio*; Abe, Nobuyuki*; Taniguchi, Koji*; Arima, Takahisa*; Wakimoto, Shuichi  ; Takeda, Masayasu  ; Kakurai, Kazuhisa; Kohn, Key*

We discovered a reversible electric polarization flop from the axis () to the axis () in multiferroic TmMnO below 5 K by applying a magnetic field of approximately 0.5 T along the axis. This phenomenon is the first example of the rare-earth () compound MnO. This magnetic-field-induced polarization flop corresponds to a magnetic phase transition from one incommensurate magnetic (ICM) phase to another ICM phase, which is equivalent to an ICM phase above 5 K under no magnetic field. The spin chirality in the plane, which was observed in the phase by polarized neutron diffraction, disappeared in the ICM phase. This indicates that the polarization in the ICM phases of TmMnO was induced by an type interaction.