Piezoelectric control of the magnetic anisotropy via interface strain coupling in a composite multiferroic structure

We investigate theoretically the magnetic dynamics in a ferroelectric/ferromagnetic heterostructure coupled via strain-mediated magnetoelectric interaction. We predict an electric field-induced magnetic switching in the plane perpendicular to the magneto-crystalline easy axis, and trace this effect back to the piezoelectric control of the magnetoelastic coupling. We also investigate the magnetic remanence and the electric coercivity.

Influence of the magnetoelectric coupling on the electric field induced magnetization reversal in a composite non-strained multiferroic chain

We study theoretically the multiferroic dynamics in a composite one-dimensional system consisting of BaTiO3 multiferroically coupled to an iron chain. The method treats the magnetization and the polarization as thermodynamic quantities describable via a combination of the Landau-Lifshits- Gilbert and the Ginzburg-Landau dynamics coupled via an additional term in the total free energy density. This term stems from the multiferroic interaction at the interface. For a wide range of strengths of this coupling we predict the possibility of obtaining a well-developed hysteresis in the ferromagnetic part of the system induced by an external electric field. The dependence of the reversal modes on the electric field frequency is also investigated and we predict a considerable stability of the magnetization reversal for frequencies in the range of 0.5 - 12 [GHz].

Finite-size effects on the magnetoelectric response of field-driven ferroelectric/ferromagnetic chains

We study theoretically the coupled multiferroic dynamics of one-dimensional ferroelectric/ferromagnet chains driven by harmonic magnetic and electric fields as a function of the chain length. A linear magnetoelectric coupling is dominated by the spin-polarized screening charge at the interface. We performed Monte-Carlo simulations and calculations based on the coupled Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert and Landau-Khalatnikov equations showing that the net magnetization and the total polarization of thin heterostructures, i.e. with up to ten ferroelectric and ferromagnetic sites counted from the interface, can be completely reversed by external electric and magnetic fields, respectively. However, for larger system solely a certain magnetoelectrical control can be achieved.