Theoretical determination of electric field-magnetic field phase diagrams of the multiferroic bismuth ferrite
Date
2014-08-28
Authors
Allen, Marc Alexander
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Abstract
Bismuth ferrite (BFO) is a multiferroic material with cross-correlation between magnetic and electric orders. With no applied external fields the spin structure of BFO is anitferromagnetic and cycloidal. This ordering prevents the detection of the weak ferromagnetism known to exist in the material. The application of magnetic and electric fields of suitable strength and direction is capable of compelling the Fe3+ spins to align in a homogeneous, antiferromagnetic fashion. This report details how numerical methods were used to simulate the spin alignment of a BFO system under different fields. The results were compiled into electric field-magnetic field phase diagrams of BFO to show the divide between cycloidal and homogeneous systems.
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Keywords
bismuth ferrite, multiferroic, magnetism, ferroelectricity, antiferromagentism, numerical methods, condensed matter, magnetoelectric effect, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, spin-current effect, weak ferromagnetism, electric field, magnetic field, BFO, BiFeO3