The RMn_(2)O_(5) manganite compounds represent one class of multiferroic family with magnetic origins,which has been receiving continuous attention in the past decade.So far,our understanding of the magnetic origins for ferroelectricity in RMn_(2)O_(5) is associated with the nearly collinear antiferromagnetic structure of Mn ions,while the exchange striction induced ionic displacements are the consequence of the spin frustration competitions.While this scenario may be applied to almost all RMn_(2)O_(5) members,its limitation is either clear:the temperature-dependent behaviors of electric polarization and its responses to external stimuli are seriously materials dependent.These inconsistences raise substantial concern with the state-of-the-art physics of ferroelectricity in RMn_(2)O_(5).In this mini-review,we present our recent experimental results on the roles of the 4f moments from R ions which are intimately coupled with the 3d moments from Mn ions.DyMn_(2)O_(5) is a golden figure for illustrating these roles.It is demonstrated that the spin structure accommodates two nearly collinear sublattices which generate respectively two ferroelectric(FE)sublattices,enabling DyMn_(2)O_(5) an emergent ferrielectric(FIE)system rarely identified in magnetically induced FEs.The evidence is presented from several aspects,including FIE-like phenomena and magnetoelectric responses,proposed structural model,and experimental check by nonmagnetic substitutions of the 3d and 4f moments.Additional perspectives regarding possible challenges in understanding the multiferroicity of RMn_(2)O_(5) as a generalized scenario are discussed.
The ferroelectric transitions of several SrTiO3-based ferroelectrics are investigated experimentally and theoretically, with special attention to the critical scaling exponents associated with the phase transitions, in order to understand the competition among quantum fluctuations （QFs）, quenched disorder, and ferroelectric ordering. Two representative systems with sufficiently strong QFs and quenched disorders in competition with the ferroelectric ordering are investigated. We start from non-stoichiometric SrTiO3（STO） with the Sr/Ti ratio deviating slightly from one, which is believed to maintain strong QFs. Then, we address Ba/Ca co-doped Sr1-x（Ca0.6389Ba0.3611）xTiO3（SCBT） with the averaged Sr-site ionic radius identical to the Sr2＋ ionic radius, which is believed to offer remarkable quenched disorder associated with the Sr-site ionic mismatch. The critical exponents associated with polarization P and dielectric susceptibility ε, respectively, as functions of temperature T close to the critical point Tc, are evaluated. It is revealed that both non-stoichiometric SrTiO3 and SCBT exhibit much bigger critical exponents than the Landau mean-field theory predictions. These critical exponents then decrease gradually with increasing doping level or deviation of Sr/Ti ratio from one. A transverse Ising model applicable to the Sr-site doped STO （e.g., Sr1-xCaxTiO3） at low level is used to explain the observed experimental data. It is suggested that the serious deviation of these critical exponents from the Landau theory predictions in these STO-based systems is ascribed to the significant QFs and quenched disorder by partially suppressing the long-range spatial correlation of electric dipoles around the transitions. The present work thus sheds light on our understanding of the critical behaviors of ferroelectric transitions in STO in the presence of quantum fluctuations and quenched disorder, whose effects have been demonstrated to be remarkable.
