Magnetoelectric Effects in Cr2O3 and (Cr2O3)0.8· (Al2O3)0.2

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Abstract
Magnetic field induced magnetoelectric (ME) effects in Cr2O3 and (Cr2O3)0.8·(Al2O3)0.2 have been examined with an ac method as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The ME effect parallel to the c axis reverses in sign at low temperatures for both materials, and is linear in H for all temperatures up to the spin‐flop field HC after which the ME effect approaches zero. The temperature dependence of the extrema of (dE/dH) vs H leads to a measure of HC vs T which agrees with earlier antiferromagnetic resonance and magnetic moment data in similar materials. Complete reversibility of the ME effect is observed when the magnetic field exceeds HC and then returns to lower values, thus demonstrating a stable memory of the domain distribution introduced during magnetic annealing. Brief remarks are made on the angular dependence of the ME effect, and indications of nondiagonal contributions in the vicinity of HC are mentioned.