Polarized Neutron Investigations of BiFeO$_{3}$

ORAL

Abstract

BiFeO$_{3}$ is a multiferroic material at room temperature. Until recently, the only studies on this material were performed on either thin films or powders. We report on the results of neutron diffraction studies performed on single crystals of BiFeO$_{3}$. Polarized neutron diffraction results unambigously reveal that the magnetic structure of this material is chiral. Furthermore, neutron diffraction experiments have shown that it is possible to control magnetic domain populations through the application of an external electric field. These results may suggest directions for future research performed in thin films.

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Authors

  • William Ratcliff,

    • NIST
    • NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • National Institute of Standards and Technology

  • Seongsu Lee

    • Department of Physics, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers University

  • Taekjib Choi

    • Department of Physics, Rutgers University

  • Ross Erwin

    • NIST
    • NCNR, NIST
    • NIST Center for Neutron Research

  • Sang-Wook Cheong

    • Rutgers University
    • Department of Physics, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

  • Valery Kiryukhin

    • Department of Physics, Rutgers University
    • Rutgers University