Phase transition of chemically doped uniaxial relaxor ferroelectric

We report a neutron scattering study of the ferroelectric phase transition in Sr0.585Ce0.025Ba0.39Nb2O6 (SBN-61:Ce). We find no evidence for a soft transverse optic phonon. We do, however, observe anisotropic diffuse scattering. This scattering has inelastic and elastic contributions. In the paraelectric phase the susceptibility associated with the elastic diffuse scattering from SBN-61:Ce increases on approaching the transition temperature. In the ferroelectric phase the lineshape of the elastic scattering is consistent with the form expected for the ferroelectric domain walls. In contrast to the macroscopic observations, the scattering properties of Ce-doped crystal do not exhibit important changes with respect to those of pure Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6.

Phase transition of the uniaxial disordered ferroelectric Sr(0.61)Ba(0.39)Nb(2)O(6)

We report a neutron scattering study of a ferroelectric phase transition in Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 (SBN-61). The ferroelectric polarization is along the crystallographic c-axis but the transverse acoustic branch propagating along the 〈1, 1, 0〉 direction does not show any anomaly associated with this transition. We find no evidence for a soft transverse optic phonon. We do, however, observe elastic diffuse scattering. The intensity of this scattering increases as the sample is cooled from a temperature well above the phase transition. The susceptibility associated with this diffuse scattering follows the anomaly of the dielectric permittivity of SBN-61 well. Below Tc the shape of this scattering is consistent with the scattering expected from ferroelectric domain walls. Our results suggest that despite apparent chemical disorder SBN-61 behaves as a classic order-disorder uniaxial ferroelectric with critical fluctuations in the range <10(-11) s.

The structure and low-energy phonons of the nonferroelectric mixed perovskite: BaMg₁/₃Ta₂/₃O₃

The structure of BaMg(1/3)Ta(2/3)O(3) (BMT) has been studied using x-ray scattering. The phonons have been measured and the results are similar to those of other materials with a perovskite structure such as PbMg(1/3)Nb(2/3)O(3) (PMN). The acoustic and lowest energy optic branches were measured but it was not possible to measure the branches of higher energy, possibly this is because they largely consist of oxygen motions. High-resolution inelastic measurements also showed that the diffuse scattering was strictly elastic and not directly related to the phonon spectra. Diffuse scattering was observed in BMT near the (H ± 1/2, K ± 1/2, L ± 1/2) points in the Brillouin zone and these had a characteristic cube shape. This arises from ordering of the B-site ions in BMT. Additional experiments revealed the diffuse scattering in BMT similar in shape to Bragg reflections at wavevectors of the form (H ± 1/3, K ± 1/3, L ± 1/3). Such reflections were also observed by Lufaso (2004 Chem. Mater. 16 2148) from powders and suggest that this structure of BMT consists of four differently oriented domains of a trigonal structure and results from a different ordering of the B-site ions from that responsible for the scattering at the (H ± 1/2, K ± 1/2, L ± 1/2) points. The results lead us to suggest that for BMT single crystals the bulk has the properties of a cubic perovskite, whereas the surface may have quite different structure from that of the bulk. This difference resembles the behaviour of cubic relaxors like PMN and PMN doped by PbTiO(3), where significant surface effects have been reported.

Incommensurate magnetic order in TbTe3

We report a neutron diffraction study of the magnetic phase transitions in the charge-density wave (CDW) TbTe(3) compound. We discover that in the paramagnetic phase there are strong 2D-like magnetic correlations, consistent with the pronounced anisotropy of the chemical structure. A long-range incommensurate magnetic order emerges in TbTe(3) at T(mag1) = 5.78 K as a result of continuous phase transitions. We observe that near the temperature T(mag1) the magnetic Bragg peaks appear around the position (0, 0, 0.24) (or its rational multiples), that is fairly close to the propagation vector (0,0,0.29) associated with the CDW phase transition in TbTe(3). This suggests that correlations leading to the long-range magnetic order in TbTe(3) are linked to the modulations that occur in the CDW state.

Diffuse scattering from the lead-based relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/3Ta2/3O3

The relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/3Ta2/3O3was studied by single-crystal neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and its detailed atomic structure modelled in terms of static Pb displacements that lead to the formation of polar nanoregions. Similar to the other members of the Pb-based relaxor family like PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3or PbZn1/3Nb2/3O3the diffuse scattering in the [H00]/[0K0] scattering plane has a butterfly shape around theh00 Bragg reflections and is orthogonal to the scattering vector forhh0 peaks. In the [HH0]/[00L] plane the diffuse scattering is elongated along the 〈112〉 directions and is orthogonal to the scattering vector forhhhreflections. It is found that a model consisting of correlated Pb displacements along the 〈111〉 directions reproduces adequately the main features of the diffuse scattering in PbMg1/3Ta2/3O3when the correlation lengths between the Pb-ion displacement vectors are longest along the 〈111〉 and shortest along the 〈11{\overline 2}〉 and 〈1{\overline 1}0〉 directions.

Magnetic excitations of Fe(1+y)Se(x)Te(1-x) in magnetic and superconductive phases

We have used inelastic neutron scattering and muon-spin rotation to compare the low energy magnetic excitations in single crystals of superconducting Fe(1.01)Se(0.50)Te(0.50) and non-superconducting Fe(1.10)Se(0.25)Te(0.75). We confirm the existence of a spin resonance in the superconducting phase of Fe(1.01)Se(0.50)Te(0.50), at an energy of 7 meV and a wavevector of (1/2, 1/2, 0). The non-superconducting sample exhibits two incommensurate magnetic excitations at (1/2, 1/2, 0) ± (0.18, - 0.18, 0) which rise steeply in energy, but no resonance is observed at low energies. A strongly dispersive low energy magnetic excitation is also observed in Fe(1.10)Se(0.25)Te(0.75) close to the commensurate antiferromagnetic ordering wavevector (1/2 - δ, 0, 1/2), where δ≈0.03. The magnetic correlations in both samples are found to be quasi-two-dimensional in character and persist well above the magnetic (Fe(1.10)Se(0.25)Te(0.75)) and superconducting (Fe(1.01)Se(0.50)Te(0.50)) transition temperatures.

Fractal properties of lysozyme: a neutron scattering study

The spatial structure and dynamics of hen egg white lysozyme have been investigated by small-angle and inelastic neutron scattering. Analysis of the results was carried using the fractal approach, which allowed determination of the fractal and fracton dimensions of lysozyme, i.e., consideration of the protein structure and dynamics by using a unified approach. Small-angle neutron scattering studies of thermal denaturation of lysozyme have revealed changes in the fractal dimension in the vicinity of the thermal denaturation temperature that reflect changes in the spatial organization of protein.

Quantum magnets under pressure: controlling elementary excitations in TlCuCl3

We follow the evolution of the elementary excitations of the quantum antiferromagnet TlCuCl3 through the pressure-induced quantum critical point, which separates a dimer-based quantum disordered phase from a phase of long-ranged magnetic order. We demonstrate by neutron spectroscopy the continuous emergence in the weakly ordered state of a low-lying but massive excitation corresponding to longitudinal fluctuations of the magnetic moment. This mode is not present in a classical description of ordered magnets, but is a direct consequence of the quantum critical point.

Magnetism in geometrically frustrated YMnO3 under hydrostatic pressure studied with muon spin relaxation

The ferroelectromagnet YMnO3 consists of weakly coupled triangular layers of S=2 spins. Below T(N) approximately equal to 70 K muon-spin relaxation data show two oscillatory relaxing signals due to magnetic order, with no purely relaxing signals resolvable (which would require different coexisting spin distributions). The transition temperature T(N) increases with applied hydrostatic pressure, even though the ordered moment decreases. These results suggest that pressure increases both the exchange coupling between the layers and the frustration within the layers.

Multiple magnon modes and consequences for the Bose-Einstein condensed phase in BaCuSi2O6

The compound BaCuSi2O6 is a quantum magnet with antiferromagnetic dimers of S=1/2 moments on a quasi-2D square lattice. We have investigated its spin dynamics by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on single crystals with an energy resolution considerably higher than in an earlier study. We observe multiple magnon modes, indicating clearly the presence of magnetically inequivalent dimer sites. The more complex spin Hamiltonian revealed in our study leads to a distinct form of magnon Bose-Einstein condensate phase with a spatially modulated condensate amplitude.

Evidence for a quasi-two-dimensional proton glass state in Cs5H3(SO4)(4); xH(2)O Crystals

We describe damping of hypersonic and ultrasonic longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonons in crystals of Cs 5H (3)(SO (4))(4);xH 2O (PCHS) between 100 and 360 K. The damping of LA phonons exhibits strong dispersion caused by relaxation processes in the region of transformation into the glasslike phase (T(g) approximately 260 K). Near T(g) the damping of ultrasonic phonons propagating in the basal plane reflects the cooperative freezing of acid protons. The damping of LA phonons propagating perpendicular to the basal plane can be fit by the Debye model and is due to the interaction between protons and LA phonons. This suggests that the proton glass state that is realized at T<T(g) has a quasi-two-dimensional nature.