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S. N. Gvasaliya

Publications and source records attributed to S. N. Gvasaliya.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Spin-glass state and long-range magnetic order in Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3

We have investigated the magnetic ground-state of the multiferroic relaxor ferroelectric \pfn with $μ$SR spectroscopy and neutron scattering. We find that a transition to a partially disordered phase occurs below T=20 K that coexists with long-range antiferromagnetic ordering. The disordered phase resembles a spin-glass. No clustering of magnetic ions could be evidenced by $μ$SR so that the coexistence appears homogeneous in the sample.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Pressure-induced quenching of the charge-density-wave state observed by x-ray diffraction

We report an x-ray diffraction study on the charge-density-wave (CDW) LaTe$_3$ and CeTe$_3$ compounds as a function of pressure. We extract the lattice constants and the CDW modulation wave-vector, and provide direct evidence for a pressure-induced quenching of the CDW phase. We observe subtle differences between the chemical and mechanical compression of the lattice. We account for these with a scenario where the effective dimensionality in these CDW systems is dependent on the type of lattice compression and has a direct impact on the degree of Fermi surface nesting and on the strength of fluctuation effects.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Soft Modes and Relaxor Ferroelectrics

Relaxor ferroelectrics are difficult to study and understand. The experiment shows that at low energy scattering there is an acoustic mode, an optic mode, dynamic quasi-elastic scattering and strictly elastic scattering as well as Bragg peaks at the zone centre. We have studied the scattering using the TASP spectrometer at PSI and have analysed the data using a model with interactions between the different components particularly to determine the properties of the elastic scattering. The quasi-elastic scattering begins to become significant at the Burns temperature of 620 K. It steadily increases in intensity on cooling reaching a maximum at ~400 K. Below this temperature the strictly elastic scattering begins to increase and shows a broadened line shape characteristic of crystals in a random applied field. We show that all the results obtained from PMN for the elastic scattering are consistent with the crystal having a random field transition at ~400 K. We have obtained similar results for PMN-PT and PZN-PT suggesting that random fields of the nano-regions also play an important role in these materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Noncentrosymmetric Commensurate Magnetic Ordering of Multiferroic ErMn2O5

The non-centrosymmetric magnetic structure of ErMn$_2$O$_5$ has been shown to be very similar to that of HoMn$_2$O$_5$ (Vecchini {\it et al.}, 2008 Phys. Rev. B {\bf 77} 134434). The magnetic modulation at 25 K has propagation vector $\vec k$=(1/2,0,1/4) and the symmetry imposes very few constraints on the magnetic configurations allowed. Only by combining the results of bulk magnetisation measurements, powder and single crystal neutron diffraction and spherical neutron polarization analysis was it possible to distinguish clearly between different models. The susceptibility measurements show that the erbium magnetic moments are aligned parallel to the c-axis indicating strong single-ion anisotropy. Spherical neutron polarimetry demonstrates the presence of two unequally populated chirality domains in ErMn$_2$O$_5$ single crystals. X-ray diffraction measurements on an ErMn$_2$O$_5$ powder using synchrotron radiation show that the buckling angles of the Mn-O-Mn bond change below the transition to the ferroelectric phase.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Evolution of the neutron quasi-elastic scattering through the ferroelectric phase transition in 93%PbZn$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$O$_3$ - 7% PbTiO$_3$

We show that the neutron diffuse scattering in relaxor ferroelectric (1-x)PbZn$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$O$_{3}$ - x PbTiO$_{3}$ (x=0.07) consists of two components. The first component is strictly elastic but extended in q-space and grows below 600 K. The second component, that was not reported before for the (1-x)PbZn$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$O$_{3}$ - x PbTiO$_{3}$ (x=0.07) relaxor ferroelectrics, is quasi-elastic with a line-width that has a similar temperature dependence as the width of the central peak observed by Brillouin spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the susceptibility of the quasi-elastic scattering has a maximum at the ferroelectric transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Magnetism in Geometrically Frustrated YMnO3 Under Hydrostatic Pressure Studied with Implanted Muons

The rare-earth ferroelectromagnet YMnO3 consists of weakly coupled triangular layers of S=2 spins. Below T_N ~ 70 K muon-spin relaxation data show two oscillatory relaxing signals due to magnetic order, with no relaxing signal resolvable (which would be expected for 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.

cond-mat.str-el↗

The Structural Phase Transition of the Relaxor Ferroelectric 68%PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-32%PbTiO3

Neutron scattering techniques have been used to study the relaxor ferroelectric 0.68PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.32PbTiO3 denoted in this paper as 0.68PMN-0.32PT. On cooling, these relaxor ferroelectrics have a long-range ordered ferroelectric phase and the composition is close to that at which the ferroelectric structure changes from rhombohedral to tetragonal. It was found that above the Burns temperature of about 600K, the transverse optic mode and the transverse acoustic mode are strongly coupled and a model was used to describe this coupling that gave similar parameters to those obtained for the coupling in PMN. Below the Burns temperature additional quasi-elastic scattering was found which increased in intensity as the sample was cooled down to the ferroelectric transition temperature but then decreased in intensity. This behaviour is similar to that found in PMN. This scattering is associated with the dynamic polar nano-regions that occur below the Burns temperature. In addition to this scattering a strictly elastic resolution limited peak was observed that was much weaker than the corresponding peak in pure PMN and which decreased in intensity on cooling below the ferroelectric phase whereas for PMN, which does not have a long-range ordered ferroelectric phase, the intensity of this component increased monotonically as the sample was cooled. The results of our study are compared with the recent measurements of Stock et al. [PRB 73 064107] who studied 0.4PMN-0.6PT. The results are qualitatively consistent with the random field model developed to describe the scattering from PMN.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Anomalous pressure dependence of the atomic displacements in the relaxor ferroelectric PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$

The crystal structure of the PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ (PMT) relaxor ferroelectric was studied under hydrostatic pressure up to $\sim 7$ GPa by means of powder neutron diffraction. We find a drastic pressure-induced decrease of the lead displacement from the inversion centre which correlates with an increase by $\sim$ 50 % of the anisotropy of the oxygen temperature factor. The vibrations of the Mg/Ta are, in contrast, rather pressure insensitive. We attribute these changes being responsible for the previously reported pressure-induced suppression of the anomalous dielectric permittivity and diffuse scattering in relaxor ferroelectrics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Reduction of the ordered magnetic moment in YMnO3 with hydrostatic pressure

YMnO3 exhibits a ferroelectric transition at high temperature (~ 900 K) and magnetic ordering at T_N ~ 70 K where the dielectric constant shows an anomaly indicative of the magneto-dielectric effect. Here we report powder neutron diffraction experiments in this compound that show that the magnetic moment at saturation is reduced by application of hydrostatic pressure. Our results yield further insight about the nature of the spin-lattice interaction in ferroic materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Spin fluctuations in the stacked-triangular antiferromagnet YMnO3

The spectrum of spin fluctuations in the stacked-triangular antiferromagnet YMnO3 was studied above the Neel temperature using both unpolarized and polarized inelastic neutron scattering. We find an in-plane and an out-of-plane excitation. The in-plane mode has two components just above TN, a resolution-limited central peak and a Debye-like contribution. The quasi-elastic fluctuations have a line-width that increases with q like Dq^z and the dynamical exponent z=2.3. The out-of-plane fluctuations have a gap at the magnetic zone center and do not show any appreciable q-dependence at small wave-vectors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Behavior of Optical Phonons near the Diffuse Phase Transition in Relaxor Ferroelectric PbMg1/3Ta2/3O3

Raman scattering in relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/3Ta2/3O3 (PMT) was investigated in the single crystalline form in the temperature range of 20 - 295 K. Anomalous temperature dependence of the integrated intensity and the Raman line contours were found at the diffuse phase transition. A correlation between the anomalies in the integrated intensities and the dispersion of the dielectric response was observed. The distortions of Raman lines with decreasing temperature are discussed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Dynamics of cubic-tetragonal phase transition in KNbO$_3$ perovskite

The low-energy part of the vibration spectrum in KNbO$_3$ was studied by cold neutron inelastic scattering in the cubic phase. In addition to acoustic phonons, we observe strong diffuse scattering, which consists of two components. The first one is quasi-static and has a temperature-independent intensity. The second component appears as quasi-elastic scattering in the neutron spectrum indicating a dynamic origin. From analysis of the inelastic data we conclude that the quasi-elastic component and the acoustic phonon are mutually coupled. The susceptibility associated with the quasi-elastic component grows as the temperature approaches T$_C$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Neutron scattering study of PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ and BaMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ complex perovskites

Neutron scattering investigations were carried out in PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ and BaMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ complex perovskites. The crystal structure of both compounds does not show any phase transition in the temperature range 1.5 -- 730 K. Whereas the temperature dependence of the lattice parameter of BaMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ follows the classical expectations, the lattice parameter of relaxor ferroelectric PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$ exhibits anomalies. One of these anomalies is observed in the same temperature range as the peak in the dielectric susceptibility. We find that in PbMg$_{1/3}$Ta$_{2/3}$O$_3$, lead ions are displaced from the ideal positions in the perovskite structure at all temperatures. Consequently short-range order is present. This induces strong diffuse scattering with an anisotropic shape in wavevector space. The temperature dependences of the diffuse neutron scattering intensity and of the amplitude of the lead displacements are similar.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Disorder and relaxation mode in the lattice dynamics of PbMg$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$O$_3$ relaxor ferroelectric

The low-energy part of vibration spectrum in PbMg$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$O$_3$ 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 $Γ_0+Dq^2$ dependence. We find that $Γ_0$ 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 rôle in the dynamics of diffuse phase transitions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗