Symmetry of multiferroicity in a frustrated magnet TbMn2O5.

Based on measurements of soft-x-ray magnetic scattering and symmetry considerations, we demonstrate that the magnetoelectric effect in TbMn2O5 arises from an internal field determined by S-->q--> x S-->-q--> with S-->q--> being the magnetization at modulation vector q-->, whereas the magnetoelastic effect in the exchange energy governs the response to external electric fields. Our results set fundamental symmetry constraints on the microscopic mechanism of multiferroicity in frustrated magnets.