Microscopic origin of field-induced multiferroicity in Ni3TeO6
Abstract
The continued demand for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient technologies has driven condensed-matter research towards materials combining multiple responses within a single phase. Particularly interesting examples are multiferroic materials featuring cross-couplings between order parameters. Ni3TeO6 is a prominent member of this material class, exhibiting a hysteresis-free transition under magnetic field which simultaneously affects the magnetic structure, electric polarization, and phonon frequencies. Here, we uncover the microscopic origin of this multiferroic transition using a combination of neutron scattering techniques. We establish the presence of a finite Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange term giving rise to non-reciprocal, chiral spin waves which soften in magnetic field. Their condensation alters the magnetic structure which controls the electric polarization and drives an ionic displacement, thereby coupling the magnetic, electric, and lattice degrees of freedom. Our study demonstrates that neutron scattering is a powerful technique to elucidate microscopic interactions in multiferroic materials, informing the design of next-generation electronic devices.
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BibTeX
@misc{lass2026microscopic,
title = {{Microscopic origin of field-induced multiferroicity in Ni3TeO6}},
author = {J. Lass and R. Toft-Petersen and A. A. Turrini and Ø. S. Fjellvåg and B. Decrausaz and K. M. L. Krighaar and R. Sibille and H. Jacobsen and M. E. Kamminga and C. R. Y. Andersen and D. Sheptyakov and J. Ollivier and U. B. Hansen and M. Enderle and A. M. Läuchli and H. M. Rønnow and K. Lefmann and D. G. Mazzone},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.29420},
eprint = {2610.29420},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.29420},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Microscopic origin of field-induced multiferroicity in Ni3TeO6
AU - J. Lass
AU - R. Toft-Petersen
AU - A. A. Turrini
AU - Ø. S. Fjellvåg
AU - B. Decrausaz
AU - K. M. L. Krighaar
AU - R. Sibille
AU - H. Jacobsen
AU - M. E. Kamminga
AU - C. R. Y. Andersen
AU - D. Sheptyakov
AU - J. Ollivier
AU - U. B. Hansen
AU - M. Enderle
AU - A. M. Läuchli
AU - H. M. Rønnow
AU - K. Lefmann
AU - D. G. Mazzone
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.29420
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.29420
AB - The continued demand for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient technologies has driven condensed-matter research towards materials combining multiple responses within a single phase. Particularly interesting examples are multiferroic materials featuring cross-couplings between order parameters. Ni3TeO6 is a prominent member of this material class, exhibiting a hysteresis-free transition under magnetic field which simultaneously affects the magnetic structure, electric polarization, and phonon frequencies. Here, we uncover the microscopic origin of this multiferroic transition using a combination of neutron scattering techniques. We establish the presence of a finite Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange term giving rise to non-reciprocal, chiral spin waves which soften in magnetic field. Their condensation alters the magnetic structure which controls the electric polarization and drives an ionic displacement, thereby coupling the magnetic, electric, and lattice degrees of freedom. Our study demonstrates that neutron scattering is a powerful technique to elucidate microscopic interactions in multiferroic materials, informing the design of next-generation electronic devices.
ER -