Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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DF: Fachverband Dielektrische Festkörper
DF 8: Multiferroics IV (Joint Session of MA, DF, DS, KR, TT)
DF 8.4: Talk
Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 11:30–11:45, HSZ 04
Poling of ferrotoroidic domains in LiCoPO4 with toroidal fields — •Anne S. Zimmermann1, Jean-Pierre Rivera2, Hans Schmid2, and Manfred Fiebig1 — 1HISKP, University of Bonn, Germany — 2Department of Inorganic, Analytical and Applied Chemistry, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Ferrotoroidicity denotes a fourth, space- and time-asymmetric form of ferroic order with a spontaneous uniform alignment of magnetic vortices. Space and time asymmetry also relates ferrotoroidic materials to multiferroics and magnetoelectrics. After ferrotoroidic domains have been observed in LiCoPO4 by second harmonic generation (SHG) experiments [1] controlled manipulation of these ferrotoroidic domains is the next step in demonstrating the ferroic nature of the toroidal state. This can be achieved by a toroidal field, i.e., a field behaving asymmetric under space inversion and time reversal, which can be realized by crossed electric and magnetic fields.
Here we report on the behaviour of ferrotoroidic domains in applied toroidal fields. The ferrotoroidic domain structure in various field experiments was investigated by phase-sensitive SHG. We demonstrate that it is possible to orient and switch the ferrotoroidic domains with an appropriate toroidal field. Furthermore the critical field strengths required to orient the ferrotoroidic domains and the relation of ferrotoroidic poling with magnetoelectric annealing are discussed. - Work supported by the SFB 608.
[1] B. B. Van Aken et. al., Nature 449, 702 (2007)