Optical study of the electronic structure and magnetic ordering in a weak ferromagnet FeBO$_3$

Spectral dependences of the relative permittivity ɛ = ɛ₁ − iɛ₂ of a uniaxial weak ferromagnet FeBO₃ are measured for two principal polarizations in the energy range 0.6–5.6 eV. The positions have been determined for the charge-transfer transitions that make the main contribution to absorption above the bandgap and determine the refractive-index dispersion below the bandgap. The isotropic magnetic contribution to the refractive index has been detected by studying the temperature dependence of the refractive index in the range 100–700 K; its value (≈2 × 10⁻²) is found to be record high for magnetic dielectrics. The energy shift of the effective oscillator, which characterizes the shift of the positions of the charge-transfer transitions due to magnetic ordering, is determined from these data within the framework of a single-oscillator model. The value of the exchange striction in FeBO₃ is determined from optical measurements.