Contrasting magnetic properties were obtained from bulk Mn-doped ZnO synthesized under different processing conditions. While a ferrimagnetic phase transition was observable in a Zn0.95Mn0.05O sample processed at 1170 K, no such transition was found for a sample with the same composition processed at 1370 K. The detailed magnetic, structural, and spectroscopic studies of these two samples have revealed that the ferrimagnetic transition in the former sample is attributable to the secondary phase, (Mn,Zn)Mn2O4, in the system. For the latter sample processed at higher temperature, no secondary phase was detected and the major feature of the system remained paramagnetic down to 4 K. The implication of the present results for Mn-doped ZnO thin films is discussed.

We report a strain-induced magnetoelectric coupling in BaTiO3/Fe3O4 ferroelectric core/ferrimagnetic shell nanoparticles. The temperature-dependent magnetoresistance and magnetization clearly show several jumps near the structural phase transition temperatures of BaTiO3. Below the Verwey transition temperature of Fe3O4, i.e., at 20 K, the dielectric constant of BaTiO3/Fe3O4 decreases continuously upon application of an external magnetic field, and the observed magnetodielectric curve does not follow the square of the magnetization. We discuss the effect of strain on the electric field-dependent magnetic anisotropy near the core/shell interface.

PACS 75.85.+t -Magnetoelectric effects, multiferroics PACS 75.25.-j -Spin arrangements in magnetically ordered materials (including neutron and spin-polarized electron studies, synchrotron-source x-ray scattering, etc.) PACS 75.10.-b -General theory and models of magnetic ordering Abstract -Single crystals of the orthorhombic polar oxide α-Cu2V2O7 with space group F dd2 are synthesized and their physical properties are measured. Neutron powder diffraction is also performed on a polycrystal sample to extract the magnetic structure. The ground state is shown to be weakly ferromagnetic, that is, collinearly antiferromagnetic in the a-direction with a small remanent magnetization in the c-direction. When an external magnetic field is applied in the c-direction, further spin canting, accompanied by the induced electric polarization, occurs. It is demonstrated that the magnetoelectric effect in α-Cu2V2O7 is adequately described if spindependent p-d hybridization due to spin-orbit coupling as well as magnetic domain effects are simultaneously taken into account. We discuss the implication of the present result in the search for materials with multiferroicity and/or magnetoelectricity.

Comprehensive x-ray scattering studies, including resonant scattering at Mn L, Tb L, and M edges, were performed on single crystals of TbMn2O5 for crystallographic data to elucidate the nature of its commensurate and incommensurate phases. The scattering results provide direct evidence of symmetry lowering to the ferroelectric phase driven by magnetically induced lattice modulations and show the presence of multiple magnetic orders. The competing orders under spin-frustrated geometry are believed to cause discommensuration and result in the commensurate-to-incommensurate phase transition around 24 K. It is proposed that the low temperature incommensurate phase consists of commensurate domains separated by antiphase domain walls which change both signs of spontaneous polarizations and x-ray scattering amplitudes for forbidden reflections.

The onset of antiferromagnetic transition, spin reorientation, and spin compensation of TmFeO3 single crystals were investigated by the magnetic and heat capacity measurements. Control of spin reorientation by magnetic field and anomalous hysteretic behavior in domain switching were clarified. No appreciable magnetodielectric effect was observed in spin reorientation temperature region. On the other hand, below the spin compensation temperature both a dielectric anomaly along the c axis and a concomitant magnetodielectric effect up to ∼4% at 80kOe were observed. This suggests that rare-earth orthoferrites can be another candidate for magnetodielectric system through the mediation of spin compensation phenomena.

We studied the novel multiferroic material Sr2FeSi2O7, and found 3 absorption modes above the magnetic ordering transition temperature using time-domain terahertz spectroscopy. These absorption modes can be explained as the optical transitions between the spin-orbit coupling and crystal field split 3d 6 Fe 2+ ground state term in this material. Consideration of the compressed tetrahedral environment of the Fe 2+ site is crucial to understand the excitations. We point out, however, discrepancies between the single-site atomic picture and the experimental results.

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