M. V. Eremin
Energy Spectrum of the Spin States in Sr₂FeSi₂O₇ and Origin of the Magneto- Electric Coupling

Recently Sr₂FeSi₂O₇ comes into focus as a possible compound with unusual magneto-electric coupling or, in other words, as a novel potential multiferroic[1,2]. Results of terahertz spectroscopy in the paramagnetic state show that the multiplet Fe⁺²(S=2) of the ground state splits due to the spin-orbit coupling. However the energy intervals between the low-lying singlet state and excited states are quite small so that all spin states are populated at the temperature of about 100 K. The Fe⁺² ion occupies the center of a tetragonally distorted tetrahedron. In the present communication the origin of the magneto-electric coupling is described as follows. The odd crystal field from the tetrahedral environment induces the coupling of the orbital momentum of the Fe⁺²( ⁵D) state with the external electric field. On the other hand, the orbital momentum is coupled with spin via the spin –orbit interaction. Both angular momenta are coupled with the external magnetic field, which is enhanced due to the presence of the superexchange interaction between neighboring Fe⁺² ions. Combining all these couplings, the author derived the affective spin Hamiltonian for the magneto-electric coupling, which made it possible to calculate relative intensities of the electric dipole transitions between spin states and estimate the magnetization caused by the external electric field as well as the electric polarization induced by the magnetic field.

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1. Thuc T. Mai, C. Svoboda, M. T. Warren, T.-H. Jang, J. Brangham, Y. H. Jeong, S.-W. Cheong, and R. Valdes Aguilar. Phys. Rev. B, 94, 224416 (2016)
2. Yongping Pu, Zijing Dong, Panpan Zhang, Yurong Wu, Jiaojiao Zhao, Yanjie Luo. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 672 , 64-71 (2016)