Abstract
The dynamics of precursor polar clusters in rhodium(Rh)-doped barium titanate single crystals were examined in the paraelectric phase by Brillouin light scattering and birefringence measurements in a wide temperature range. The longitudinal acoustic (LA) mode and central peaks in the inelastic light scattering spectrum were investigated by Brillouin scattering, while the temperature dependence of the birefringence was accurately determined by means of a birefringence imaging system. In a specific temperature range above the ferroelectric phase transition temperature, the LA mode frequency exhibited a significant softening concomitant with the substantial increase in the hypersonic damping, which was attributed to the formation of polar clusters and their interactions with acoustic waves. In this temperature range where acoustic anomalies were brought about, the birefringence showed non-zero values, indicating the existence of local non-centrosymmetric regions. All these results clearly indicated that the off-centered motions of Ti ions in the oxygen octahedra in Rh-doped BaTiO3 are correlated in the paraelectric phase inducing slowing down of the precursor dynamics and anomalous birefringence, similar to pure BaTiO3 (Ko et al., Phys. Rev. B 84, 094123 (2011)). The effect of rhodium doping in BaTiO3 enhanced the first-order character of the ferroelectric phase transition.
Published Version
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