Magnetically induced electric polarization in BaFeOCl with tunable direction in three dimensions

阿部 伸行*; 塩澤 俊介*; 松浦 慧介*; 佐賀山 基*; 中尾 朗子*; 大原 高志; 徳永 祐介*; 有馬 孝尚*

Physical Review B, 101(18), p.180407_1 - 180407_5, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.101.180407

The correlation between magnetism and electric polarization in a chiral insulating magnet BaFeOCl has been investigated. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility shows an anomaly at 564 K, suggesting the onset of antiferromagnetic order of Fe moments. Electric polarization appears in a magnetic field below TN due to the spin-direction-dependent metal-ligand hybridization. The direction of the electric polarization can be controlled in three-dimensional space by changing the direction of an external magnetic field. This compound also shows an antiferromagnetic-to-weak-ferromagnetic transition accompanied by a structural phase transition at 140 K.