Large spin-phonon coupling and magnetically induced phonon anisotropy in SrMO3 perovskites (M = V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co)

First-principles calculations reveal large zone-center spin-phonon coupling and magnetically-driven phonon anisotropy in cubic perovskites SrMO3 (M = V,Cr,Mn,Fe,Co). In particular, the frequency and splitting of the polar Slater mode is found to depend strongly upon magnetic ordering. The coupling is parameterized in a crystalstructure-dependent Heisenberg model, and its main features seen to arise from the Goodenough-Kanamori rules. This coupling can be expected to produce distinct low-energy alternative phases, resulting in a rich variety of coupled magnetic, structural, and electronic phase transitions driven by temperature, stress, electric field, and cation substitution.