Origin of natural and magnetic field induced polar order in orthorhombic PrFe1/2Cr1/2 O3

Here, we report the possible origin of natural and magnetic field induced polar order near room temperature (RT) in PrFe1/2Cr1/2O3. The temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy (RS) and synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments disregard any change in the structure at low temperatures, which is not compatible with the emergence of natural ferroelectricity in this sample. Further, inelastic neutron scattering, neutron Compton scattering, neutron resonance transmission analysis and magnetic field-dependent RS experiments, suggest an increase in the delocalization of Pr3+ ions in PrFe1/2Cr1/2O3 with respect to the parent compound PrFeO3. The evaluation of the present results reveals that more delocalized Pr3+ ions and strong spin-phonon coupling in PrFe1/2Cr1/2O3 seem to be a driving force for the observed natural and magnetic field induced switchable polar order in PrFe1/2Cr1/2O3. The present results provide a significant contribution in understanding the ferroelectric polarization and progress in the search for RT magnetodielectric materials.