Magnetostriction and magnetoelastic domains in antiferromagnets

The problem of the observable equilibrium domain structure (DS) in pure antiferromagnets is investigated with the use of continuous elasticity theory. It is shown that the difference between the bulk and surface magnetoelastic strains causes imaginary 'incompatibility elastic charges' analogous to the surface 'magnetic' charges in ferromagnets. The corresponding long-range field is shown to contribute to the 'stray' energy of the sample that governs the appearance of the DS, the contribution from the 'elastic charges' being proportional to the sample volume. Competition between the elastic 'stray' field, which favours inhomogeneous strain distribution, and an external field, which tends to make the sample homogeneous, provides a reversible reconstruction of the DS under the action of the external magnetic field.