arXiv subjects

Igor Solovyev

Publications and source records attributed to Igor Solovyev.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Altermagnetism in MnF$_2$: Band Splitting and Its Physical Consequences

MnF$_2$ is widely regarded as a candidate altermagnet, but the magnitude and implications of its altermagnetic band splitting remain debated. Using electronic-structure calculations, we construct minimal models that capture the magnetic and electronic properties of MnF$_2$. These models show that the parameters governing the chiral magnon splitting and the spin splitting of the electronic bands are relatively small. Moreover, the electronic system lies in the strong-coupling regime, where most magnetic properties are controlled by the ratio $t/U$ between the characteristic hopping amplitude $t$ and the large on-site Coulomb repulsion $U$. Consequently, all exchange interactions scale as $1/U$, so a small altermagnetic hopping $\delta t$ produces only a proportionally small exchange term. Upon doping, the altermagnetic contribution to the anomalous Hall effect is likewise suppressed, being smaller than the conventional (non-altermagnetic) contribution by a factor of order $\delta t/U$. In contrast, the behavior of the conductivity tensor $\hat{\sigma}(\omega)$ at $\hbar \omega \sim U$ differs qualitatively, because $\delta t$ enters the energies of interband optical transitions \emph{directly} rather than through the reduced ratio $\delta t/U$. This contribution strongly reshapes $\hat{\sigma}(\omega)$, leading to a dramatic enhancement of the magneto-optical response.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Entangled orbital, spin, and ferroelectric orders in $p$-electron magnet CsO$_2$

Alkali superoxides differ from conventional transition metal magnets, exhibit magnetism from partially occupied oxygen molecular $\pi^*$-orbitals. Among them, CsO$_2$ stands out for its potential to exhibit novel quantum collective phenomena, such as an orbital order induced Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid state. Using ab-initio Hubbard models, superexchange theory, and experimental spin wave measurements, we propose that CsO$_2$ exhibits unconventional magnetoelectric characteristics at low temperature. Our analysis confirms a canted antiferromagnetic ground state and a spin-flop transition, with ferroelectricity is induced by breaking inversion and time-reversal symmetry in the spin-flop phase. Consequently, our analysis reveals a strong interplay not only between exchange interactions but also among magnetically-induced polarization and orbital order. The magnetic structure, stabilized by orbital order, induces magnetically-induced polarization through an antisymmetric mechanism. Overall, our results reveal the coexistence of three highly entangled orders in CsO$_2$, namely, orbital, spin and ferroelectricity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Multiferroic kinks and spin-flop transition in Ni$_{2}$InSbO$_6$ from first principles

Magnetoelectric multiferroics are key materials for next-generation spintronic devices due to their entangled magnetic and ferroelectric properties. Spiral multiferroics possess ferroelectric polarization and are particularly promising for electric control of magnetism and magnetic control of ferroelectricity. In this work, we uncover long-period incommensurate states characterized by unique multiferroic kinks in corundum nickelate Ni$_{2}$InSbO$_6$, a member of a promising family of polar magnets. Utilizing a 2-orbital $S=1$ model, we derive formulas for Heisenberg and anisotropic magnetic exchanges and magnetically-induced polarization, enabling their calculations from first principles. We use these parameters in Monte Carlo and Landau theory-based calculations to reproduce experimentally observed magnetic structures and polarization dependence on the magnetic field. We predict magnetic phase transitions between flat spiral, conical spiral, canted antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states under increasing magnetic fields. Kinks in the spiral phases repel each other through a Yukawa-like potential arising from exchange of massive magnons. We also find that suitably directed electric fields can be used to stabilize the ferromagnetic and spiral states. The findings open a new pathway to predictive first-principles modelling of multiferroics and will inspire experiments and technological applications based on multiferroic kinks.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Magnetically induced polarization in centrosymmetric bonds

We reveal the microscopic origin of electric polarization $\vec{P}$ induced by noncollinear magnetic order. We show that in Mott insulators, such $\vec{P}$ is given by all possible combinations of position operators $\hat{\vec{r}}_{ij} = (\vec{r}_{ij}^{\, 0},\vec{\boldsymbol{r}}_{ij}^{\phantom{0}})$ and transfer integrals $\hat{t}_{ij} = (t_{ij}^{0},\boldsymbol{t}_{ij}^{\phantom{0}})$ in the bonds, where $\vec{r}_{ij}^{\, 0}$ and $t_{ij}^{0}$ are spin-independent contributions in the basis of Kramers doublet states, while $\vec{\boldsymbol{r}}_{ij}^{\phantom{0}}$ and $\boldsymbol{t}_{ij}^{\phantom{0}}$ stem solely from the spin-orbit interaction. Among them, the combination $t_{ij}^{0} \vec{\boldsymbol{r}}_{ij}^{\phantom{0}}$, which couples to the spin current, remains finite in the centrosymmetric bonds, thus yielding finite $\vec{P}$ in the case of noncollinear arrangement of spins. The form of the magnetoelectric coupling, which is controlled by $\vec{\boldsymbol{r}}_{ij}^{\phantom{0}}$, appears to be rich and is not limited to the phenomenological law $\vec{P} \sim \boldsymbol{\epsilon}_{ij} \times [\boldsymbol{e}_{i} \times \boldsymbol{e}_{j}]$ with $\boldsymbol{\epsilon}_{ij}$ being the bond vector connecting the spins $\boldsymbol{e}_{i}$ and $\boldsymbol{e}_{j}$. Using density-functional theory, we illustrate how the proposed mechanism work in the spiral magnets CuCl$_2$, CuBr$_2$, CuO, and $\alpha$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$, providing consistent explanation to available experimental data.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Fingerprints of spin-current physics on magnetoelectric response in the spin-$1/2$ magnet Ba$_2$CuGe$_2$O$_7$

The single-site anisotropy vanishes for the spin-1/2 as a consequence of Kramers degeneracy. We argue that similar property holds for the magnetically induced electric polarization P, which should depend only on the relative orientation of spins in the bonds but not on the direction of each individual spin. Thus, for insulating multiferroic compounds, P can be decomposed in terms of pairwise isotropic, antisymmetric, and anisotropic contributions, which can be rigorously derived in the framework of the superexchange (SE) theory, in an analogy with the spin Hamiltonian. The SE theory also allows us to identify the microscopic mechanism, which stands behind each contribution. The most controversial and intriguing one is antisymmetric or spin-current mechanism. In this work, we propose that the disputed magnetoelectric (ME) properties of Ba2CuGe2O7 can be explained solely by the spin-current mechanism, while other contributions are either small or forbidden by symmetry. First we explicitly show how the cycloidal spin order induces the experimentally observed P in the direction perpendicular to the xy plane, which can be naturally explained by the spin-current mechanism operating in the out-of-plane bonds. Then, we unveil previously overlooked ME effect, where the application of the magnetic field perpendicular to the plane not only causes the incommensurate-commensurate transition, but also flips P into the plane due to the spin-current mechanism operating in the neighboring bonds within this plane. In both cases, the magnitude and direction of P can be controlled by rotating the spin pattern in the xy plane. Our analysis is based on a realistic spin model, which was rigorously derived from the first-principles calculations and supplemented with the new algorithm for the construction of localized Wannier functions obeying the crystallographic symmetry of Ba2CuGe2O7.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Microscopic origin of ferromagnetism in trihalides CrCl$_3$ and CrI$_3$

Microscopic origin of the ferromagnetic (FM) exchange coupling in CrCl$_3$ and CrI$_3$, their common aspects and differences, are investigated on the basis of density functional theory combined with realistic modeling approach for the analysis of interatomic exchange interactions. We perform a comparative study based on the pseudopotential and linear muffin-tin orbital methods by treating the effects of electron exchange and correlation in GGA and LSDA, respectively. The results of ordinary band structure calculations are used in order to construct the minimal tight-binding type models describing the behavior of the magnetic Cr $3d$ and ligand $p$ bands in the basis of localized Wannier functions, and evaluate the effective exchange coupling ($J_{\rm eff}$) between two Cr sublattices employing four different technique: (i) Second-order Green's function perturbation theory for infinitesimal spin rotations of the LSDA (GGA) potential at the Cr sites; (ii) Enforcement of the magnetic force theorem in order to treat both Cr and ligand spins on a localized footing; (iii) Constrained total-energy calculations with an external field, treated in the framework of self-consistent linear response theory. We argue that the ligand states play crucial role in the ferromagnetism of Cr trihalides, though their contribution to $J_{\rm eff}$ strongly depends on additional assumptions, which are traced back to fundamentals of adiabatic spin dynamics. Particularly, by neglecting ligand spins in the Green's function method, $J_{\rm eff}$ can easily become antiferromagnetic, while by treating them as localized, one can severely overestimate the FM coupling. The best considered approach is based on the constraint method, where the ligand states are allowed to relax in response to each instantaneous reorientation of the Cr spins, controlled by the external field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Exchange interactions of CaMnO3 in the bulk and at the surface

In this work, we present electronic and magnetic properties of CaMnO3 (CMO) as obtained from ab initio calculations. We identify the preferable magnetic order by means of density functional theory plus Hubbard U calculations and extract the effective exchange parameters (Jij's) using the magnetic force theorem. We find that the effects of geometrical relaxation at the surface as well as the change of crystal field are very strong and are able to influence the lower energy magnetic configuration. In particular, our analysis reveals that the exchange interaction between the Mn atoms belonging to the surface and the subsurface layers is very sensitive to the structural changes. An earlier study [A. Filippetti and W.E. Pickett, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4184 (1999)] suggested that this coupling is ferromagnetic and gives rise to the spin flip process on the surface of CMO. In our work we confirm their finding for an unrelaxed geometry, but once the structural relaxations are taken into account, this exchange coupling changes its sign. Thus, we suggest that the surface of CMO should have the same G-type antiferromagnetic order as in the bulk. Finally, we show that the suggested SF can be induced in the system by introducing an excess of electrons.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2010

Modeling of complex oxide materials from the first principles: systematic applications to vanadates RVO3 with distorted perovskite structure

"Realistic modeling" is a new direction of electronic structure calculations, where the main emphasis is made on the construction of some effective low-energy model entirely within a first-principle framework. Ideally, it is a model in form, but with all the parameters derived rigorously, on the basis of first-principles electronic structure calculations. The method is especially suit for transition-metal oxides and other strongly correlated systems, whose electronic and magnetic properties are predetermined by the behavior of some limited number of states located near the Fermi level. After reviewing general ideas of realistic modeling, we will illustrate abilities of this approach on the wide series of vanadates RVO3 (R= La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Yb, and Y) with distorted perovskite structure. Particular attention will be paid to computational tools, which can be used for microscopic analysis of different spin and orbital states in the partially filled t2g-band. We will explicitly show how the lifting of the orbital degeneracy by the monoclinic distortion stabilizes C-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) state, which can be further transformed to the G-type AFM state by changing the crystal distortion from monoclinic to orthorhombic one. Two microscopic mechanisms of such a stabilization, associated with the one-electron crystal field and electron correlation interactions, are discussed. The flexibility of the orbital degrees of freedom is analyzed in terms of the magnetic-state dependence of interatomic magnetic interactions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Long-Range Magnetic Interactions Induced by the Lattice Distortions and the Origin of the E-type Antiferromagnetic Phase in the Undoped Orthorhombic Manganites

With the increase of the lattice distortion, the orthorhombic manganites $R$MnO$_3$ ($R$$=$ La, Pr, Nd, Tb, and Ho) are known to undergo the phase transition from the layered A-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) state to the zigzag E-type AFM state. We consider the microscopic origin of this transition. Our approach consists of the two parts. First, we construct an effective lattice fermion model for the manganese 3d-bands and derive parameters of this model from the first-principles electronic structure calculations. Then, we solve this model in the Hartree-Fock approximation (HFA) and analyze the behavior of interatomic magnetic interactions. We argue that the nearest-neighbor interactions decrease with the distortion and at certain stage start to compete with the longer range (particularly, second- and third-neighbor) AFM interactions in the orthorhombic ab-plane, which lead to the formation of the E-phase. The origin of these interactions is closely related to the orbital ordering, which takes place in the distorted orthorhombic structure. The model is able to capture the experimental trend and explain why LaMnO$_3$ develops the A-type AFM order and why it tends to transform to the E-type AFM order in the more distorted compounds. Nevertheless, the quantitative agreement with the experimental data crucially depends on other factors, such as the magnetic polarization of the oxygen sites and the correlation interactions beyond HFA.

cond-mat.str-el↗