Search arXiv⌕ Search

arXiv · 2610.01990

Frustration-induced multiferroicity in hauerite MnS2

Abstract

Pyrite-type mineral hauerite MnS$_2$ is a magnetic insulator with localized $S=\frac52$ moments. Below 48 K, it develops a collinear antiferromagnetic order, accompanied by unit-cell doubling and breaking the inversion symmetry. We demonstrate that the latter gives rise to a ferroelectric polarization of up to 360 $μ$C/m$^2$ rendering MnS$_2$ a type-II multiferroic. Microscopically, the electronic polarization originates from S$_2$ dimers that acquire a dipole moment induced by the frustrated magnetic ordering of neighboring Mn sites. We show that time-reversal symmetry leaves ferroelectric domains intact, and that domain switching necessitates overcoming a high energy barrier set by the magnetic exchange energy scale.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Vilmos Kocsis, Harish K. Singh, Kranthi K. Bestha, Yaqian Guo, Maxim Mostovoy, Jeroen van den Brink, Oleg Janson. 2026-10-01. Frustration-induced multiferroicity in hauerite MnS2. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.01990

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Many-body Euler topology

Integer and fractional Chern insulators exhibit a nonzero quantized anomalous Hall conductivity due to a spontaneous breaking of time reversal symmetry. To identify nontrivial topology in their time-reversal symmetric many-body spectra, we introduce many-body Euler numbers as a counterpart to many-body Chern numbers. Exemplarily, we perform calculations in a topological Hubbard model that can realize Chern and fractional Chern insulating phases. Furthermore, we lay out a classification scheme to realize different topological phases in interacting systems using symmetry indicators in analogy to topological band theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Generalized Model Fractional Quantum Hall States on Lattices

Model wavefunctions are essential for studying fractional quantum Hall (FQH) phases. They reveal the intricate connections between model FQH states, conformal field theory, Jack polynomials, and pseudopotential Hamiltonians. However, most model wavefunctions studied so far are in the continuum. In this work, we construct model wavefunctions and the corresponding exact parent Hamiltonians for the entire $Z_k$ Read--Rezayi series on a lattice. Our model wavefunctions obey a generalized clustering rule implemented on the lattice, which we find is encoded in the Macdonald polynomials providing a unified algebraic description of our lattice-specific model states. This ensures that the model states are exact zero-energy ground states of local density interactions and exhibit an infinitely large gap in the particle entanglement spectrum. Numerical studies of the Laughlin and Moore--Read series find the expected zero-mode and one-flux quasihole counting and positive energy gaps at the system sizes studied, and the available finite-size scaling suggests nonzero thermodynamic gaps. Tuning the model interaction range can drive a phase transition out of the FQH phase. Our work not only advances the theoretical understanding of the underlying mathematical structure of lattice model FQH states but also is potentially useful for designing exotic many-body phases in engineered quantum platforms.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Tensor network study of deconfined quantum criticality in a one-dimensional spin-phonon model

Deconfined quantum critical points (DQCPs) describe continuous transitions between ordered phases beyond the Landau paradigm. A simple example is the Néel antiferromagnet (AFM) to valence bond solid (VBS) transition in a 1D antiferromagnetic $J_1-J_2$ model. In analogy to the spin-Peierls instability of critical spin chains, DQCPs are predicted to be unstable towards lattice distortions below a critical phonon frequency. In this work, we use tensor network simulations to investigate this instability in the antiferromagnetic $J_1-J_2$ model coupled to lattice vibrations. We confirm the stability of DQCP for large phonon frequencies and demonstrate that the transition turns strongly first-order below a critical frequency. The instability is caused by a reduction of the Luttinger parameter due to spin-phonon interactions and we identify the effective theory of the behavior as the double sine-Gordon model. The same effective theory is known to describe the classical Ashkin-Teller model, which enables us to show that the critical endpoint is in the four-state Potts universality class. We argue based on non-linear bosonization that the sign of the double-frequency term is fixed, which provides a microscopic justification for the first-order transition. Furthermore, we provide quantitative numerical scaling results for the phonon spectral function, offering an experimental signature to probe DQCP-phonon coupling in low-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗