Magnetostriction and magnetoelastic domains in antiferromagnets

Abstract

The problem of the observable equilibrium domain structure in pure antiferromagnets (and other thermoelastics) is investigated with the use of continuous elasticity theory. It is shown that completely rigid surface produces the imaginary ``incompatibility elastic charges'' analogous to the surface magnetic charges in ferromagnets. Corresponding long-range field is shown to contribute into the ``stray'' energy of the sample that governs an appearance of the domain structure, the contribution from the ``elastic charges'' being proportional to the sample volume. Competition between the elastic ``stray'' field that favors inhomogeneous strain distribution, and external field that tends to homogenize the sample, provides the reversible reconstruction of the domain structure under the action of external magnetic field.