Flexomagnetoelectric Effect in Sr2IrO4 Thin Films

Xin Liu, Ting Hu, Yujun Zhang, Xueli Xu, Runyu Lei, Biao Wu, Zongwei Ma, Peng Lv, Yuelin Zhang, Shih Wen Huang, Jialu Wu, Jing Ma, Jiawang Hong, Zhigao Sheng, Chenglong Jia*, Erjun Kan*, Ce Wen Nan*, Jinxing Zhang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Symmetry engineering is explicitly effective to manipulate and even create phases and orderings in strongly correlated materials. Flexural stress is universally practical to break the space-inversion or time-reversal symmetry. Here, by introducing strain gradient in a centrosymmetric antiferromagnet Sr2IrO4, the space-inversion symmetry is broken accompanying a nonequivalent O p-Ir d orbital hybridization along the z axis. Thus, an emergent polar phase and out-of-plane magnetic moment have been simultaneously observed in these asymmetric Sr2IrO4 thin films, which both are absent in its ground state. Furthermore, upon the application of a magnetic field, such polarization can be controlled by modifying the occupied d orbitals through spin-orbit interaction, giving rise to a flexomagnetoelectric effect. This Letter provides a general strategy to artificially design multiple symmetries and ferroic orderings in strongly correlated systems.

Original languageEnglish
Article number156505
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume133
Issue number15
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Oct 2024

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