54 research outputs found
Neutron Diffuse Scattering from Polar Nanoregions in the Relaxor Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3
We have studied the neutron diffuse scattering in the relaxor PMN. The
diffuse scattering appears around the Burns temperature (~620K), indicating its
origin from the polar nanoregions (PNR). While the relative diffuse intensities
are consistent with previous reports, they are entirely different from those of
the lowest-energy TO phonon. Because of that, it has been considered that this
TO mode could not be the ferroelectric soft mode. Recently, a neutron
scattering study has unambiguously shown that the TO mode does soften on
cooling. If the diffuse scattering in PMN originates from the soft mode
condensation, then the atomic displacements must satisfy the center of mass
condition. But, the atomic displacements determined from diffuse scattering
intensities do not fulfill this condition. To resolve this contradiction, we
propose a simple model in which the total atomic displacement consists of two
components: is created by the soft mode condensation, satisfying
the center of mass condition, and, represents a uniform
displacement of the PNR along their polar direction relative to the surrounding
(unpolarized) cubic matrix. Within this framework, we can successfully describe
the neutron diffuse scattering intensities observed in PMN.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures (Revised: 11-16-2001
Dynamical effects of the nanometer-sized polarized domains in Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3
Recent neutron scattering measurements performed on the relaxor ferroelectric
Pb[(Zn1/3Nb2/3)0.92Ti0.08]O3 (PZN-8%PT) in its cubic phase at 500 K, have
revealed an anomalous ridge of inelastic scattering centered ~0.2 A-1 from the
zone center (Gehring et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5216 (2000)). This ridge of
scattering resembles a waterfall when plotted as a phonon dispersion diagram,
and extends vertically from the transverse acoustic (TA) branch near 4 meV to
the transverse optic (TO) branch near 9 meV. No zone center optic mode was
found. We report new results from an extensive neutron scattering study of pure
PZN that exhibits the same waterfall feature. We are able to model the dynamics
of the waterfall using a simple coupled-mode model that assumes a strongly
q-dependent optic mode linewidth Gamma1(q) that increases sharply near 0.2 A-1
as one approaches the zone center. This model was motivated by the results of
Burns and Dacol in 1983, who observed the formation of a randomly-oriented
local polarization in PZN at temperatures far above its ferroelectric phase
transition temperature. The dramatic increase in Gamma1 is believed to occur
when the wavelength of the optic mode becomes comparable to the size of the
small polarized micro-regions (PMR) associated with this randomly-oriented
local polarization, with the consequence that longer wavelength optic modes
cannot propagate and become overdamped. Below Tc=410 K, the intensity of the
waterfall diminishes. At lowest temperatures ~30 K the waterfall is absent, and
we observe the recovery of a zone center transverse optic mode near 10.5 meV.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures (one color). Submitted to Physical Review
A Neutron Elastic Diffuse Scattering Study of PMN
We have performed elastic diffuse neutron scattering studies on the relaxor
Pb(MgNb)O (PMN). The measured intensity distribution near a
(100) Bragg peak in the (hk0) scattering plane assumes the shape of a butterfly
with extended intensity in the (110) and (10) directions. The
temperature dependence of the diffuse scattering shows that both the size of
the polar nanoregions (PNR) and the integrated diffuse intensity increase with
cooling even for temperatures below the Curie temperature K.Comment: Submitted to PR
X-Ray Diffuse Scattering Study on Ionic-Pair Displacement Correlations in Relaxor Lead Magnesium Niobate
Ionic-pair equal-time displacement correlations in relaxor lead magnesium
niobate, , have been investigated at room
temperature in terms of an x-ray diffuse scattering technique. Functions of the
distinct correlations have been determined quantitatively. The results show the
significantly strong rhombohedral-polar correlations regarding Pb-O, Mg/Nb-O,
and O-O' pairs. Their spatial distribution forms an ellipse or a sphere with
the radii of 30-80. This observation of local structure in the system
proves precursory presence of the polar microregions in the paraelectric state
which leads to the dielectric dispersion.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Diffuse Neutron Scattering Study of a Disordered Complex Perovskite Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 Crystal
Diffuse scattering around the (110) reciprocal lattice point has been
investigated by elastic neutron scattering in the paraelectric and the relaxor
phases of the disordered complex perovskite crystal-Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3(PZN). The
appearance of a diffuse intensity peak indicates the formation of polar
nanoregions at temperature T*, approximately 40K above Tc=413K. The analysis of
this diffuse scattering indicates that these regions are in the shape of
ellipsoids, more extended in the direction than in the direction.
The quantitative analysis provides an estimate of the correlation length, \xi,
or size of the regions and shows that \xi ~1.2\xi , consistent with
the primary or dominant displacement of Pb leading to the low temperature
rhombohedral phase. Both the appearance of the polar regions at T*and the
structural transition at Tc are marked by kinks in the \xi curve but not
in the \xi one, also indicating that the primary changes take place in a
direction at both temperatures.Comment: REVTeX file. 4 pages, 3 figures embedded, New version after referee
cond-mat/010605
Universal Static and Dynamic Properties of the Structural Transition in Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3
The relaxors Pb(ZnNb)O (PZN) and
Pb(MgNb)O (PMN) have very similar properties based on the
dielectric response around the critical temperature (defined by the
structural transition under the application of an electric field). It has been
widely believed that these materials are quite different below with the
unit cell of PMN remaining cubic while in PZN the low temperature unit cell is
rhombohedral in shape. However, this has been clarified by recent high-energy
x-ray studies which have shown that PZN is rhombohedral only in the skin while
the shape of the unit cell in the bulk is nearly cubic. In this study we have
performed both neutron elastic and inelastic scattering to show that the
temperature dependence of both the diffuse and phonon scattering in PZN and PMN
is very similar. Both compounds show a nearly identical recovery of the soft
optic mode and a broadening of the acoustic mode below . The diffuse
scattering in PZN is suggestive of an onset at the high temperature Burns
temperature similar to that in PMN. In contrast to PMN, we observe a broadening
of the Bragg peaks in both the longitudinal and transverse directions below
. We reconcile this additional broadening, not observed in PMN, in terms
of structural inhomogeneity in PZN. Based on the strong similarities between
PMN and PZN, we suggest that both materials belong to the same universality
class and discuss the relaxor transition in terms of the three-dimensional
Heisenberg model with cubic anisotropy in a random field.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Updated version after helpful referee comment
Disorder and relaxation mode in the lattice dynamics of PbMgNbO relaxor ferroelectric
The low-energy part of vibration spectrum in PbMgNbO
relaxor ferroelectric was studied by inelastic neutron scattering. We observed
the coexistence of a resolution-limited central peak with strong quasielastic
scattering. The line-width of the quasielastic component follows a
dependence. We find that is temperature-dependent.
The relaxation time follows the Arrhenius law well. The presence of a
relaxation mode associated with quasi-elastic scattering in PMN indicates that
order-disorder behaviour plays an important r\^ole in the dynamics of diffuse
phase transitions
Universality Class of Thermally Diluted Ising Systems at Criticality
The universality class of thermally diluted Ising systems, in which the
realization of the disposition of magnetic atoms and vacancies is taken from
the local distribution of spins in the pure original Ising model at
criticality, is investigated by finite size scaling techniques using the Monte
Carlo method. We find that the critical temperature, the critical exponents and
therefore the universality class of these thermally diluted Ising systems
depart markedly from the ones of short range correlated disordered systems. Our
results agree fairly well with theoretical predictions previously made by
Weinrib and Halperin for systems with long range correlated disorder.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, RevTe
Direct evidence of soft mode behavior near the Burns' temperature in PbMgNbO (PMN) relaxor ferroectric
Inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the relaxor ferroelectric
PbMgNbO (PMN) in the temperature range
490~KT880~K directly observe the soft mode (SM) associated with the
Curie-Weiss behavior of the dielectric constant (T). The results
are treated within the framework of the coupled SM and transverse optic (TO1)
mode and the temperature dependence of the SM frequency at q=0.075 a* is
determined. The parameters of the SM are consistent with the earlier estimates
and the frequency exhibits a minimum near the Burns temperature (
650K)Comment: 6 figure
The Energetics of Li Off-Centering in KLiTaO; First Principles Calculations
KLiTaO (KLT) solid solutions exhibit a variety of
interesting physical phenomena related to large displacements of Li-ions from
ideal perovskite A-site positions. First-principles calculations for KLT
supercells were used to investigate these phenomena. Lattice dynamics
calculations for KLT exhibit a Li off-centering instability. The energetics of
Li-displacements for isolated Li-ions and for Li-Li pairs up to 4th neighbors
were calculated. Interactions between nearest neighbor Li-ions, in a Li-Li
pair, strongly favor ferroelectric alignment along the pair axis. Such Li-Li
pairs can be considered "seeds" for polar nanoclusters in KLT.
Electrostriction, local oxygen relaxation, coupling to the KT soft-mode, and
interactions with neighboring Li-ions all enhance the polarization from Li
off-centering. Calculated hopping barriers for isolated Li-ions and for nearest
neighbor Li-Li pairs are in good agreement with Arrhenius fits to experimental
dielectric data.Comment: 14 pages including 10 figures. To Physical Review B. Replaced after
corrections due to referees' remark
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