Magnetoelectric effect in multiferroic nickelate perovskite YNiO₃

The interaction of magnetic order and spontaneous polarization is a fundamental coupling with the prospect for the control of electronic properties and magnetism. The connection among magnetic order, charge localization and associated metal-insulator transition (MIT) are cornerstones for materials control. Materials that combine both effects are therefore of great interest for testing models that claim the occurrence of spontaneous polarization from magnetic and charge order. One class of materials proposed to combine these functionalities is the family of RNiO₃ (R: Lanthanide or Yttrium), whose members show a clear MIT and an antiferromagnetic ground state and for which an electric polarization has been predicted. Here, using resonant magnetic x-ray scattering with circular polarization and an applied electric field we show that YNiO₃ possess a magnetic structure containing domains of spin-rotations that are consistent with an electric polarization. We show a reversal of the magnetic structure with the applied electric field confirming that charge ordered RNiO₃ are magnetoelectric type II multiferroics with a MIT.