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Terahertz electric-field-driven dynamical multiferroicity in SrTiO3

Journal Article · · Nature (London)
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9]
  1. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden); SLAC
  2. Ca’ Foscari Univ. of Venice (Italy); Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Basovizza (Italy)
  3. Ca’ Foscari Univ. of Venice (Italy); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble (France)
  4. National Research Council (CNR), Rome (Italy); Sapienza Univ. of Rome (Italy)
  5. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden)
  6. National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba (Japan)
  7. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  8. Ca’ Foscari Univ. of Venice (Italy); Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA), Stockholm (Sweden); Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States); Rara Foundation - Sustainable Materials and Technologies, Venice (Italy)
  9. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden); Ca’ Foscari Univ. of Venice (Italy); Rara Foundation - Sustainable Materials and Technologies, Venice (Italy)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The emergence of collective order in matter is among the most fundamental and intriguing phenomena in physics. In recent years, the dynamical control and creation of novel ordered states of matter not accessible in thermodynamic equilibrium is receiving much attention. The theoretical concept of dynamical multiferroicity has been introduced to describe the emergence of magnetization due to time-dependent electric polarization in non-ferromagnetic materials. In simple terms, the coherent rotating motion of the ions in a crystal induces a magnetic moment along the axis of rotation. Here we provide experimental evidence of room-temperature magnetization in the archetypal paraelectric perovskite SrTiO3 due to this mechanism. We resonantly drive the infrared-active soft phonon mode with an intense circularly polarized terahertz electric field and detect the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. A simple model, which includes two coupled nonlinear oscillators whose forces and couplings are derived with ab initio calculations using self-consistent phonon theory at a finite temperature, reproduces qualitatively our experimental observations. A quantitatively correct magnitude was obtained for the effect by also considering the phonon analogue of the reciprocal of the Einstein–de Haas effect, which is also called the Barnett effect, in which the total angular momentum from the phonon order is transferred to the electronic one. Our findings show a new path for the control of magnetism, for example, for ultrafast magnetic switches, by coherently controlling the lattice vibrations with light.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
European Research Council (ERC); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW); USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
2405186
Journal Information:
Nature (London), Journal Name: Nature (London) Journal Issue: 8008 Vol. 628; ISSN 0028-0836
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (14)

Fig. 1(p. 2)figure Fig. 1
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Extended Data Fig. 1(p. 11)figure Extended Data Fig. 1
Extended Data Fig. 2(p. 12)figure Extended Data Fig. 2
Extended Data Fig. 3(p. 13)figure Extended Data Fig. 3
Extended Data Fig. 4(p. 14)figure Extended Data Fig. 4
Extended Data Fig. 5(p. 15)figure Extended Data Fig. 5
Extended Data Fig. 6(p. 16)figure Extended Data Fig. 6
Extended Data Fig. 7(p. 17)figure Extended Data Fig. 7
Extended Data Fig. 8(p. 18)figure Extended Data Fig. 8
Extended Data Table 1(p. 19)figure Extended Data Table 1
Extended Data Table 2(p. 20)figure Extended Data Table 2

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