Electric-field effects on the spin-density wave in magnetic ferroelectrics

A profound analogy exists between the modulate structures in magnetic materials and in nematic liquid crystals, especially for the behavior in an external field. Starting from this point, we study the influence of an electric field on the spatially modulated spin structure (spin-density-wave state) of the magnetic ferroelectric BiFeO₃, discovering and investigating the possibility of a transition between the spin-density-wave state into a homogeneous antiferromagnetic configuration.