Magnetic structure of multiferroic hexagonal
Phys. Rev. B 113, 054422 – Published 12 February, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/n3q4-sjmq
Abstract
Hexagonal is an intensively studied representative of materials exhibiting the coexistence of magnetic and electric order, called multiferroicity. Nevertheless, a controversy about its antiferromagnetic order remains. Initial reports suggested space-group symmetry with spins along the crystallographic axis and antiparallel orientation of corresponding spins in adjacent planes. However, subsequent experiments increasingly supported symmetry with spins aligned along the crystallographic axis and parallel orientation of corresponding spins in adjacent planes. Despite accumulating evidence for this structure, a neutron polarimetry study revealed an order according to space-group symmetry , where the spins are rotated by from the toward the axis. Here we report experiments by optical second harmonic generation that point to symmetry and no evidence for spin rotation within a noise-inflicted upper limit of . We suggest that the discrepancy could be resolved by an expansion of the configurations measured by neutron polarimetry and the use of samples with enlarged domains to prevent domain-wall-related contributions.