Theory of Ferromagnetism in Ca1-xLaxB6

Abstract

Novel ferromagnetism in Ca$_{1-x}$La$_{x}$B$_6$ is studied in terms of the Ginzburg-Landau theory for excitonic order parameters, taking into account symmetry of the wavefunctions. We found that the minima of the free energy break both inversion and time-reversal symmetries, while the product of these two remains preserved. This explains various novelties of the ferromagnetism and predicts a number of magnetic properties, including the magnetoelectric effect, which can be tested experimentally.