1209.6612 (Rogerio de Sousa et al.)

Theory of spin-orbit enhanced electric-field control of magnetism in
multiferroic BiFeO3    [PDF]

Rogerio de Sousa, Marc Allen, Maximilien Cazayous

We present a microscopic theory that shows the importance of spin-orbit coupling in multiferroic compounds with heavy ions. In BiFeO3 (BFO) the spin-orbit coupling at the bismuth ion sites results in a special kind of magnetic anisotropy that is linear in the applied E-field. We show how this interaction is capable of disrupting the magnetic cycloid state of bulk BFO, leading to a remarkable level of E-field control of magnetism.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.6612