23 research outputs found
Neutron scattering study of ferroelectric Sn2P2S6 under pressure
Ferroelectric phase transition in the semiconductor Sn2P2S6 single crystal
has been studied by means of neutron scattering in the pressure-temperature
range adjacent to the anticipated tricritical Lifshitz point (p=0.18GPa,
T=296K). The observations reveal a direct ferroelectric-paraelectric phase
transition in the whole investigated pressure range (0.18 - 0.6GPa). These
results are in a clear disagreement with phase diagrams assumed in numerous
earlier works, according to which a hypothetical intermediate incommensurate
phase extends over several or even tens of degrees in the 0.5GPa pressure
range. Temperature dependence of the anisotropic quasielastic diffuse
scattering suggests that polarization fluctuations present above TC are
strongly reduced in the ordered phase. Still, the temperature dependence of the
(200) Bragg reflection intensity at p=0.18GPa can be remarkably well modeled
assuming the order-parameter amplitude growth according to the power law with
logarithmic corrections predicted for a uniaxial ferroelectric transition at
the tricritical Lifshitz point
A new picture of the Lifshitz critical behavior
New field theoretic renormalization group methods are developed to describe
in a unified fashion the critical exponents of an m-fold Lifshitz point at the
two-loop order in the anisotropic (m not equal to d) and isotropic (m=d close
to 8) situations. The general theory is illustrated for the N-vector phi^4
model describing a d-dimensional system. A new regularization and
renormalization procedure is presented for both types of Lifshitz behavior. The
anisotropic cases are formulated with two independent renormalization group
transformations. The description of the isotropic behavior requires only one
type of renormalization group transformation. We point out the conceptual
advantages implicit in this picture and show how this framework is related to
other previous renormalization group treatments for the Lifshitz problem. The
Feynman diagrams of arbitrary loop-order can be performed analytically provided
these integrals are considered to be homogeneous functions of the external
momenta scales. The anisotropic universality class (N,d,m) reduces easily to
the Ising-like (N,d) when m=0. We show that the isotropic universality class
(N,m) when m is close to 8 cannot be obtained from the anisotropic one in the
limit d --> m near 8. The exponents for the uniaxial case d=3, N=m=1 are in
good agreement with recent Monte Carlo simulations for the ANNNI model.Comment: 48 pages, no figures, two typos fixe
Surface critical exponents at a uniaxial Lifshitz point
Using Monte Carlo techniques, the surface critical behaviour of
three-dimensional semi-infinite ANNNI models with different surface
orientations with respect to the axis of competing interactions is
investigated. Special attention is thereby paid to the surface criticality at
the bulk uniaxial Lifshitz point encountered in this model. The presented Monte
Carlo results show that the mean-field description of semi-infinite ANNNI
models is qualitatively correct. Lifshitz point surface critical exponents at
the ordinary transition are found to depend on the surface orientation. At the
special transition point, however, no clear dependency of the critical
exponents on the surface orientation is revealed. The values of the surface
critical exponents presented in this study are the first estimates available
beyond mean-field theory.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures include
Lattice models and Landau theory for type II incommensurate crystals
Ground state properties and phonon dispersion curves of a classical linear
chain model describing a crystal with an incommensurate phase are studied. This
model is the DIFFOUR (discrete frustrated phi4) model with an extra
fourth-order term added to it. The incommensurability in these models may arise
if there is frustration between nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor
interactions. We discuss the effect of the additional term on the phonon
branches and phase diagram of the DIFFOUR model. We find some features not
present in the DIFFOUR model such as the renormalization of the
nearest-neighbor coupling. Furthermore the ratio between the slopes of the soft
phonon mode in the ferroelectric and paraelectric phase can take on values
different from -2. Temperature dependences of the parameters in the model are
different above and below the paraelectric transition, in contrast with the
assumptions made in Landau theory. In the continuum limit this model reduces to
the Landau free energy expansion for type II incommensurate crystals and it can
be seen as the lowest-order generalization of the simplest Lifshitz-point
model. Part of the numerical calculations have been done by an adaption of the
Effective Potential Method, orginally used for models with nearest-neighbor
interaction, to models with also next-nearest-neighbor interactions.Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures, RevTex, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Bulk and Boundary Critical Behavior at Lifshitz Points
Lifshitz points are multicritical points at which a disordered phase, a
homogeneous ordered phase, and a modulated ordered phase meet. Their bulk
universality classes are described by natural generalizations of the standard
model. Analyzing these models systematically via modern
field-theoretic renormalization group methods has been a long-standing
challenge ever since their introduction in the middle of the 1970s. We survey
the recent progress made in this direction, discussing results obtained via
dimensionality expansions, how they compare with Monte Carlo results, and open
problems. These advances opened the way towards systematic studies of boundary
critical behavior at -axial Lifshitz points. The possible boundary critical
behavior depends on whether the surface plane is perpendicular to one of the
modulation axes or parallel to all of them. We show that the semi-infinite
field theories representing the corresponding surface universality classes in
these two cases of perpendicular and parallel surface orientation differ
crucially in their Hamiltonian's boundary terms and the implied boundary
conditions, and explain recent results along with our current understanding of
this matter.Comment: Invited contribution to STATPHYS 22, to be published in the
Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Statistical Physics
(STATPHYS 22) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP),
4--9 July 2004, Bangalore, Indi
Electronic structure of Sn2P2S6
The electronic properties of the ferroelectric compound Sn2P2S6 are investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and soft x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Excellent agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental data for the electronic structure of the investigated compound is achieved. With help of the Sn core level spectra it is confirmed that the compound contains Sn2+ ions. The valence band mainly consists of five resolvable bands between 3.3 eV and 14.5 eV. Consistent with the results of band-structure calculation and the soft x-ray fluorescence spectra, Sn2P2S6 can be viewed as an ionic crystal, built of Sn2+ and the (P2S6)(4-) fragments. Within the latter, P-P and P-S bonds are largely covalent and characterized by sp hybridization