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Abstract

Orthorhombic HoMnO₃ is a multiferroic in which Mn antiferromagnetic order induces ferroelectricity. A second transition occurs within the multiferroic phase, in which a strong enhancement of the ferroelectric polarization occurs concomitantly to antiferromagnetic ordering of Ho 4f magnetic moments. Using the element selectivity of resonant X-ray diffraction, we study the magnetic order of the Mn 3d and Ho 4f moments. We explicitly show that the Mn magnetic order is affected by the Ho 4f magnetic ordering transition. Based on the azimuthal dependence of the (0 q 0) and (0 1-q 0) magnetic reflections, we suggest that the Ho 4f order is similar to that previously observed for Tb 4f in TbMnO3, which resembles an ac-cycloid. This is unlike the Mn order, which has already been shown to be different for the two materials. Using non-resonant diffraction, we show that the magnetically-induced ferroelectric lattice distortion is unaffected by the Ho ordering, suggesting a mechanism through which the Ho order affects polarization without affecting the lattice in the same manner as the Mn order.