Neutron diffraction study of ferromagnetic ordering in La1/3Nd1/3Ca1/3MnO3induced by electric field

We used the neutron diffraction technique to study the ferromagnetic orderi ng process in La1/3Nd1/3Ga1/3MnO3 induced by the short impulse of the exter nal electric field E = 4 V/cm at a magnetic field H = 1.5 T. Our sample was prepared by the standard solid-state reaction. The diffraction measurement s at 4 K, carried out for the neutron wavelength lambda = 0.2442 nm, have r evealed the orthorhombic perovskite structure with the unit-cell parameters : a = 0.5480 nm, b = 0.5550 nm and c = 0.7737 nm. We observed that a short impulse of the electric field develops the ferromagnetic ordering in a simi lar way as the magnetic field up to 4 T. We assume that the increased ferro magnetic ordering induced by the external electric field at a given magneti c field has the same physical origin as in the case of the Zener double exc hange. The effect is confirmed by magnetic moment measurements using vibrat ing sample magnetometer.