Magnetoelectric Phase Transition and Axion Dynamics

Abstract

Magnetoelectric phase transitions have been experimentally studied, but no macroscopic theory has been proposed to explain their dynamical origin. In this work, we assume that the axion quasiparticle with frequency undergoes a condensation like process. We show that these magnetoelectric phase transitions can be described within a Ginzbur Landau framework by introducing a coupled dynamic parameter, the axion angle, which is proportional to the magnetoelectric coeffcient. We derive relations between the static axion angle, the axion frequency, and the phase transition temperature for different magnetoelectric materials, respectively, and compare these calculations with existing experimental results. We also connect the artificially designed Dzyaloshinskii Moriya interaction with the axion condensate like process, so that the relation between the static axion angle and the experimentally measured frequency shift can be obtained.