Low-Magnetic-Field Control of Electric Polarization Vector in a Helimagnet
Shintaro Ishiwata,1*
Yasujiro Taguchi,2
Hiroshi Murakawa,1
Yoshinori Onose,1,3
Yoshinori Tokura1,2,3
The mutual control of the electric and magnetic properties of
a solid is currently of great interest because of the possible
application for novel electronic devices. We report on the low-magnetic-field
(for example,
B values of ±30 milliteslas) control of
the polarization (
P) vector in a hexaferrite, Ba
2Mg
2Fe
12O
22,
which shows the helimagnetic spin structure with the propagation
vector
k0 parallel to [001]. The
B-induced transverse conical
spin structure carries the
P vector directing perpendicular
to both
B and
k0, in accord with the recently proposed spin-current
model. Then, the oscillating or multidirectionally rotating
B produces the cyclic displacement current via the flexible
handling of the magnetic cone axis.
2 Cross-Correlated Materials Research Group (CMRG), Frontier Research System (FRS), RIKEN, Wako 351-0198, Japan.
3 Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ishiwata{at}riken.jp
