Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya nature of ferroelectric ordering in magnetoelectric Gd1−xYxMnO3 system

Abstract The phase diagram of Gd 1− x Y x MnO 3 , 0≤ x ≤0.4, is presented and the role of the driving mechanisms in stabilizing both magnetic and ferroelectric orderings is discussed in the framework of the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya model. The ( x , T ) phase diagram reflects the effect of lattice distortions induced by the substitution of Gd 3+ ion by smaller Y 3+ ions, which gradually unbalances the antiferromagnetic against the ferromagnetic exchange interactions, enabling the emergence of ferroelectricity for higher concentrations of yttrium.