Optical Control of Superlattices States Formed Due to Electronic Phase Separation in Multiferroic Eu0.8Ce0.2Mn2O5

Abstract

The effect of optical pumping and magnetic field on properties of the electronic phase separation regions, which are the multiferroic semiconductor heterostructures in the form of superlattices, have been studied in Eu0.8Ce0.2Mn2O5. These superlattices are formed due to self-organization in a dielectric crystal matrix as a result of the competing internal interactions balance and occupy a small crystal volume. The dynamical equilibrium states of superlattices are initially formed during cycling of as-grown samples in a magnetic field. The superlattices in such states are ferromagnetic and electrically neutral. Sets of ferromagnetic resonances were observed from individual layers of superlattices. Their features give rise information on properties of these layers and of a superlattice as a whole. The differences in the parameters of these resonances were due to different distributions of Mn3+ and Mn4+ ions in individual superlattices layers. It has been found that optical pumping having different powers allows us to control of multiferroic properties of superlattices layers by changing their magnetic and electric properties. It is shown that, under certain conditions, it is possible to significantly increase the temperatures at which multiferroic heterostructures exist.