Magnetoelectric properties of ferroelectric rare earth molybdates

Abstract

Abstract The magnetic field dependence of the electric polarization and the magnetization of the ferroelectric-ferroelastic and paramagnetic crystals Tb2(MoO4)3 and Gd2(MoO4)3 have been investigated in magnetic fields up to 20 T and in the temperature range of 5 K up to room temperature. The observed dependence of the electric polarization upon the magnetic field in terbium molybdate can be interpreted as a piezoelectric strain-induced magnetoelectric effect. The magnetoelectric effect in gadolinium molybdate has been found to be two orders of magnitude smaller than in terbium molybdate. This difference is attributed to the anisotropic space charge distribution of 4f-electrons of Tb3+ ions in terbium molybdate (non-zero angular momentum value) and the isotropic space charge distribution of 4f-electrons in gadolinium molybdate (zero angular momentum).