Author:

Abstract:

In this PhD we will focus in two types of magnetoelectric coupling, i.e. the manipulation of the magnetic state of a material via the application of an electric field. The main aim is to obtain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that are underpinning magnetoelectric coupling. We will study this in two model systems, i.e. interfaces in ferroelectric/ferromagnetic and dielectric/ferromagnetic multilayer systems. In the first type magnetoelectric coupling results from strain transfer and charge doping, whereas in the second type variations in magnetic anisotropy are dominant. In order to study in detail the interactions at the interface we will make use of ultrathin 57Fe ferromagnetic layers which can provide local information using Mössbauer spectroscopy and related techniques. Our experimental data will be complemented by ab initio calculations.