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Updated: May 9, 2026

Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Theory of spin-orbit enhanced electric-field control of magnetism in multiferroic BiFeO3
Rogério de Sousa1, Marc Allen, Maximilien Cazayous
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada. rdesousa@uvic.ca
Abstract:
We present a microscopic theory that shows the importance of spin-orbit coupling in perovskite 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. This interaction can convert the cycloid ground state into a homogeneous antiferromagnet, with a weak ferromagnetic moment whose orientation can be controlled by the E-field direction. Remarkably, the E-field control of magnetism occurs without poling the ferroelectric moment, providing a pathway for reduced energy dissipation in spin-based devices made of insulators.
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