Abstract
Magnetic properties of Cu2ā¢(MoO4)ā¢(SeO3), an S = 1/2 centrosymmetric antiferromagnet (AFM), were investigated using superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, neutron diffraction, and magnetoelectric (ME) measurements. The magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate a broad peak at ā¼50 K, followed by a phase transition into AFM order at šN=23.6ā¢(1) K. Above šN, a fit to the Curie-Weiss law gives a Curie-Weiss temperature ĪCW=ā68ā¢(1) K, suggesting the dominant AFM coupling. Neutron powder diffraction reveals that the Cā¢u2+ spins are aligned AFM along the š axis with weak noncollinearity under the magnetic space group of P2ā²1/š. The ME response indicates that a nondiagonal component of a ME tensor is active, supporting the simultaneous spatial and time reversal symmetry breaking under P2ā²1/š.