Spin-phonon coupling in multiferroic RCrO₃ (R-Y, Lu, Gd, Eu, Sm): A Raman study

Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research Jakkur P. O., Bangalore 560 064, India

Received: 6 October 2012
Accepted: 13 December 2012

Abstract

Raman study on a select few orthochromites, RCrO₃ (R = Y, Lu, Gd, Eu and Sm), shows that the phonon behavior at T_N in compounds with magnetic R-ion (Gd and Sm) is remarkably different from that of non-magnetic R-ion (Y, Lu and Eu). While anomalies in most of the observed phonon frequencies in all these compounds may result from the distortion of CrO₆ octahedra due to size effect and magnetostriction arising from Cr-ordering, the anomalous behavior of their linewidths observed at T_N for the compounds with only magnetic R-ion suggests spin-phonon coupling. The presence of spin-phonon coupling and the anomalies in the low-frequency modes related to R-ion motion in orthochromites (R = Gd and Sm) support the suggestion that the coupling between 4f-3d moments play an important role in inducing switchable electric polarization.