arXiv subjects

B. Ravel

Publications and source records attributed to B. Ravel.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Swirling topological textures of polarization in bulk relaxor ferroelectrics

A complete understanding of the mechanisms for dielectric relaxation in relaxor ferroelectrics remains elusive. We used a structural refinement framework that integrates several types of experimental data to identify the nanoscale correlations of polarization and their relationship to the underlying chemistry in the classic relaxor system PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3. The polar structure in these materials in their bulk cubic state can be represented as overlapping anisotropic volumes, each encompassing unit cells with projections of their polarization vectors onto the volume's longest axis pointing in the same direction. The overlap results in swirling topological textures of polarization containing vortices, such as merons, and displaying smooth changes in the polarization directions. The locations of these vortices are linked to the electric charge gradient caused by compositional heterogeneities, deemed to create depolarizing fields.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Structural Origin of Recovered Ferroelectricity in BaTiO$_3$ Nanoparticles

Nanoscale BaTiO3 particles (approximately 10 nm) prepared by ball-milling a mixture of oleic acid and heptane have been reported to have an electric polarization several times larger than that for bulk BaTiO3. In this work, detailed local, intermediate, and long-range structural studies are combined with spectroscopic measurements to develop a model structure of these materials. The X-ray spectroscopic measurements reveal large Ti off-centering as the key factor producing the large spontaneous polarization in the nanoparticles. Temperature-dependent lattice parameter changes reveal the sharpening of the structural phase transitions in these BaTiO3 nanoparticles compared to the pure nanoparticle systems. Sharp crystalline-type peaks in the barium oleate Raman spectra suggest that this component in the composite core-shell matrix, a product of mechanochemical synthesis, stabilizes an enhanced polar structural phase of the BaTiO3 core nanoparticles.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Temperature Dependent Local Structure of LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_x: Probing the Bond Correlations

The local structure of the parent and doped LaFeAsO1-xFx (pnictide) compounds were studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In the doped system, the Fe-As and Fe-Fe correlations are well modeled by an Einstein model with no low temperature anomalies. For the Fe-As bonds, the Einstein temperatures are identical for the doped (11%) and undoped samples, but the doped sample is found to have a lower level of static disorder. For the Fe-Fe correlation, doping enhances the effective Einstein temperature of Fe-Fe atom correlation. The results suggest that the onset of superconductivity in the F doped system may be related to enhanced magnetic correlations. Density functional calculations of the charge density reveal strong bonding between neighboring As ions but metal-like behavior in the Fe layers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Solid State Astrophysics: Probing Interstellar Dust and Gas Properties with X-rays

The abundances of gas and dust (solids and complex molecules) in the interstellar medium (ISM) as well as their composition and structures impact practically all of astrophysics. Fundamental processes from star formation to stellar winds to galaxy formation all scale with the number of metals. However, significant uncertainties remain in both absolute and relative abundances, as well as how these vary with environment, e.g., stellar photospheres versus the interstellar medium (ISM). While UV, optical, IR, and radio studies have considerably advanced our understanding of ISM gas and dust, they cannot provide uniform results over the entire range of column densities needed. In contrast, X-rays will penetrate gas and dust in the cold (3K) to hot (100,000,000K) Universe over a wide range of column densities (log NH=20-24 cm^-2), imprinting spectral signatures that reflect the individual atoms which make up the gas, molecule or solid. *X-rays therefore are a powerful and viable resource for delving into a relatively unexplored regime for determining gas abundances and dust properties such as composition, charge state, structure, and quantity via absorption studies, and distribution via scattering halos.*

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2003

Diffraction Anomalous Fine Structure spectroscopy at the beamline BM2 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Diffraction Anomalous Fine Structure (DAFS) spectroscopy uses resonant elastic x-rays scattering as an atomic, shell and site selective probe that gives information on the electronic structure and the local atomic environment as well as on the long range ordered crystallographic structure. A DAFS experiment consists of measuring the Bragg peak intensities as a function of the energy of the incoming x-ray beam. The French CRG (Collaborative Research Group) beamline BM2-D2AM (Diffraction Diffusion Anomale Multi-longueurs d'onde) at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) has developed a state of the art energy scan diffraction set-up. In this article, we present the requirements for obtaining reliable DAFS data and report recent technical achievements.

cond-mat↗