  Using first principles calculations, we present a magnetostructural effect in
the BiFeO3-BiMnO3 nanocheckerboard that is not found in either bulk parent
compound or in BiFeO3-BiMnO3 superlattices. We also demonstrate that the
atomic-scale checkerboard has a multiferroic ground state with the desired
properties of each constitutent material: polar and ferrimagnetic due to BiFeO3
and BiMnO3 respectively.
