Frustration and multiferroic behavior in Ca3CoMnO6
Lu{sub 2}MnCoO{sub 6} and Ca{sub 3}MnCoO{sub 6} satisfy one of the primary goals of multiferroics research, namely ferromagnetic-like magnetization coupled to ferroelectric-like polarization. Thus the mechanism for magnetoelectric coupling in these materials deserves careful study. New data shows that the physics of these compound may be related to the classic 'ANNNI' model. Frustration between ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor and antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor interactions between Ising spins creates an 'up up down down' magnetic structure in zero magnetic field, along c-axis chains that consist of alternating Co and Mn ions. In applied magnetic fields 'up up down,' 'up up up down' and other metastable variations can evolve, yielding hysteretic ferromagnetic-like magnetization. The key is that the phase slips between regions of 'up' and 'down' carries an electric polarization due to broken spatial inversion symmetry. Thus these phase slips can be manipulated with both electric and magnetic fields. The result is a profusion of magnetic and electric states that are closely-spaced in temperature, electric, and magnetic field. We present experimental studies of the magnetic, electric, and structural properties of these two compounds. We include very new data up to 100 Ton Ca{sub 3}CoMnO{sub 6} that resolves a key controversy of over the magnetic structure and the size of the moments.