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arXiv · 2510.17627

Design and theory of switchable linear magnetoelectricity by ferroelectricity in Type-I multiferroics

Hui-Min Zhang·Cheng-Ao Ji·Tong Zhu·Hongjun Xiang·Hiroshi Kageyama·Shuai Dong·James M. Rondinelli·Xue-Zeng Lu
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Abstract

We present a comprehensive theoretical investigation of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling mechanisms in 19 altermagnetic and 4 ferrimagnetic Type-I multiferroics using electronic band structure calculations with spin-orbit coupling, a first-principles ME response framework, and spin-space-group theory analysis. We formulate a universal scheme for realizing nonvolatile ME coupling in Type-I multiferroics, where two distinct pathways emerge, each dictated by spin-space symmetry. The first pathway is associated with switching of the spin splitting or the now familiar spin-momentum locking in reciprocal space, characteristic of some altermagnetic mul-tiferroics that exhibit coexisting antiferromagnetism and ferroelectricity. The second pathway involves real-space magnetization switching via electric polarization reversal, characterized by switchable components of the linear ME tensor, despite the traditionally weak coupling in Type-I systems due to the independent origins of magnetism and ferroelectricity. We demonstrate that these two intrinsic ME coupling mechanisms are mutually exclusive and propose thermodynami-cally stable compounds for experimentation. Our findings establish general design principles for controlling robust nonvolatile ME effects in multiferroic materials.

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Hui-Min Zhang, Cheng-Ao Ji, Tong Zhu, Hongjun Xiang, Hiroshi Kageyama, Shuai Dong, James M. Rondinelli, Xue-Zeng Lu. 2025-10-20. Design and theory of switchable linear magnetoelectricity by ferroelectricity in Type-I multiferroics. https://doi.org/10.1103/66zq-39yc

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