Instability in Magnetic Materials with a Dynamical Axion Field

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Instability in Magnetic Materials with a Dynamical Axion Field

Hirosi Ooguri and Masaki Oshikawa

Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 161803 – Published 20 April 2012

Abstract

It has been pointed out that axion electrodynamics exhibits instability in the presence of a background electric field. We show that the instability leads to a complete screening of an applied electric field above a certain critical value and the excess energy is converted into a magnetic field. We clarify the physical origin of the screening effect and discuss its possible experimental realization in magnetic materials where magnetic fluctuations play the role of the dynamical axion field.

Received 14 December 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.161803

Authors & Affiliations

Hirosi Ooguri^1,2 and Masaki Oshikawa³

¹California Institute of Technology, 452-48, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
²Kavli IPMU, University of Tokyo (WPI), Kashiwa 277-8583, Japan
³Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8581, Japan