| In the multiferroic spinel CdV2O4 the ferroelectricity is driven by local exchange striction and not by the more common scenario of spiral magnetism. The experimental findings are corroborated by ab initio calculations of the electric polarization and the underlying spin and orbital order. The results point toward a charge rearrangement due to dimerization, where electronic correlations and the proximity to the insulator-metal transition play an important role. |
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