TY - JOUR
T1 - Optical imaging of coexisting collinear and spiral spin phases in the magnetoelectric multiferroic MnWO4
AU - Taniguchi, Koji
AU - Saito, Mitsuru
AU - Arima, Taka Hisa
PY - 2010/2/8
Y1 - 2010/2/8
N2 - Optical absorption spectra of a magnetoelectric multiferroic MnWO4 have been measured. It has been observed that the optical absorption with the light propagating along the b axis is suppressed by magnetic order. In particular, a spin-forbidden crystal-field transition shows a steep decrease in intensity upon the first-order phase transition from the spiral spin phase, AF2, to the low-temperature collinear spin phase, AF1. The large thermochroism makes it possible to visualize AF1 and AF2 domains, at the phase-coexistence state as a contrastive optical image. AF1 and the AF2 domains appear as stripes with a width of about 20-30 μm, implying relatively strong magnetic exchange interaction along a Mn zigzag chain (c axis).
AB - Optical absorption spectra of a magnetoelectric multiferroic MnWO4 have been measured. It has been observed that the optical absorption with the light propagating along the b axis is suppressed by magnetic order. In particular, a spin-forbidden crystal-field transition shows a steep decrease in intensity upon the first-order phase transition from the spiral spin phase, AF2, to the low-temperature collinear spin phase, AF1. The large thermochroism makes it possible to visualize AF1 and AF2 domains, at the phase-coexistence state as a contrastive optical image. AF1 and the AF2 domains appear as stripes with a width of about 20-30 μm, implying relatively strong magnetic exchange interaction along a Mn zigzag chain (c axis).
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.064406
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.064406
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954826655
VL - 81
JO - Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
JF - Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
SN - 0163-1829
IS - 6
M1 - 064406
ER -