Micromagnetic structures: flexomagnetoelectric coupling point symmetry and Neumann's principle

Abstract

Recent series of articles (B.M. Tanygin, 2011-2012) has been aimed to study flexomagnetoelectric properties of magnetically ordered crystals by means of a magnetic point symmetry description. Besides its fundamental interest (complete symmetry classification), applications to a classical micromagnetic variational problem of a thermodynamically equilibrium state calculation had been provided without a proof. It was shown that the magnetic point symmetry group determination of the given micromagnetic structure could be used to predict qualitatively the electric polarization distribution induced by a flexomagnetoelectric coupling. This article is an important addendum which provides a formal mathematical explanation why and how a symmetry-based description of flexomagnetoelectric phenomena conforms to a quantitative calculation of an equilibrium state of a magnetization and electrical polarization vectors spatial distribution. An application of the Neumann's principle and a group-theoretical methodology to real micromagnetic structures is clarified as well. The well-known role of a symmetry-based approach in new interactions and phenomena discoveries has been discussed.