Abstract
A long-standing issue in multiferroic is the electric polarization reversal when magnetic field is applied along the magnetic easy axis . In this work, we performed comprehensive ferroelectric polarization measurements on in fields up to 52 T and with rotating field direction in the plane. When the field is rotated from to , the induced high-field phase favors a sign reversal relative to the low-field phase, which is attributed to the vector spin chirality changing from one side of the spin connecting vector to the other. Particularly, further slight deviation of the field from the magnetic easy axis towards causes an abrupt reversal of the high-field phase from to . We assume that this unusual angular dependence of polarization behavior can be understood by magnetic control of the helicity of the chiral plane with opposite conical spin structures. In addition, we also propose electric-field control of the chiral plane close to the ferroelectric phase transition at high fields. This study results in an overall understanding of this important multiferroic material and sheds light on field-induced polarization switching in related compounds.
- Received 23 February 2021
- Accepted 1 July 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.104.014415
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