Hyper-Raman scattering experiments allowed collecting the spectra of the lowest F1u-symmetry mode of PbTiO3 crystal in the paraelectric phase up to 930K as well as down to about 1K above the phase transition. It is realized that this mode is fully responsible for the Curie-Weiss behavior of its dielectric permittivity above Tc. Near the phase transition, this phonon frequency softens down to 17 cm-1 and its spectrum can be well modeled as a response of a single damped harmonic oscillator. It is concluded that PbTiO3 constitutes a clean example of a soft mode-driven ferroelectric system.
Polarized Raman, IR and time-domain THz spectroscopy of orthorhombic lead zirconate single crystals yielded a comprehensive picture of temperature-dependent quasiharmonic frequencies of its low-frequency phonon modes. It is argued that these modes primarily involve vibration of Pb and/or oxygen octahedra librations and their relation to particular phonon modes of the parent cubic phase is proposed. Counts of the observed IR and Raman active modes belonging to distinct irreducible representations agree quite well with group-theory predictions. The most remarkable finding is the considerably enhanced frequency renormalization of the y-polarized polar modes, resulting in a pronounced low temperature dielectric anisotropy. Results are discussed in terms of contemporary phenomenological theory of antiferroelectricity.
Ultrasonic velocity measurements on the magnetoelectric multiferroic compound CuFeO2 reveal that the antiferromagnetic transition observed at TN1 = 14 K might be induced by an R-3m -> C2/m pseudoproper ferroelastic transition (G. Quirion, M. J. Tagore, M. L. Plumer, O. A. Petrenko, Phys. Rev. B 77, 094111 (2008)). In that case, the group theory states that the order parameter associated with the structural transition must belong to a two dimensional irreducible representation Eg (x^2 - y^2, xy). Since this type of transition can be driven by a Raman Eg mode, we performed Raman scattering measurements on CuFeO2 between 5 K and 290 K. Considering that the isostructural multiferroic compound CuCrO2 might show similar structural deformations at the antiferromagnetic transition TN1 = 24.3 K, Raman measurements have also been performed for comparison. At ambient temperature, the Raman modes in CuFeO2 are observed at omega_Eg = 352 cm^-1 and omega_Ag = 692 cm^-1, while these modes are detected at omega_E_g = 457 cm^-1 and omega_Ag = 709 cm^-1 in CuCrO2. The analysis of the temperature dependence of modes shows that the frequency of all modes increases down to 5 K. This typical behavior can be attributed to anharmonic phonon-phonon interactions. These results clearly indicate that none of the Raman active modes observed in CuFeO2 and CuCrO2 drive the pseudoproper ferroelastic transition observed at the Neel temperature TN1. Finally, a broad band at about 550 cm^-1 observed in the magnetoelectric phase of CuCrO2 below TN2 could be attributed to a magnon mode.
Polarized Raman scattering measurements have been performed on Na0.5CoO2 single crystal from 8 to 305 K. Both the A1g and E1g phonon modes show a softening below Tc1 ~ 83 K. Additionally, the A1g phonon mode, which is forbidden in the scattering geometry of cross polarization for the triangular CoO2 layers, appears below Tc1. In contrast, the metal-insulator transition at Tc2 ~ 46 K has only secondary effect on the Raman spectra. The phonon softening and the ``forbidden Raman intensity follow closely magnetic order parameter and the gap function at the Fermi surface, indicating that the distortion of CoO6 octahedra at Tc1, instead of the Na ordering at ~350 K, is the relevant structural component of the 83 K phase transition.
The temperature dependence of elastic, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of (65-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xBaTiO335-PbTiO3 ceramics with x=0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 was investigated. Compound with x=2 was found to exhibit a large piezoelectric response (d31=-170 pC/N, d33=530 pC/N at 300 K). Particularly, its d31 value was nearly a constant over a temperature range from 185 to 360 K. A broad ferroelectric phase transition tuned by BaTiO3 doping was deduced from the dielectric constant, elastic compliance constant and Raman spectra. The temperature-stable piezoelectric response was attributed to the counter-balance of contributions from the dielectric and elastic responses.
The electronic structure of bilayer graphene is investigated from a resonant Raman study using different laser excitation energies. The values of the parameters of the Slonczewski-Weiss-McClure model for graphite are measured experimentally and some of them differ significantly from those reported previously for graphite, specially that associated with the difference of the effective mass of electrons and holes. The splitting of the two TO phonon branches in bilayer graphene is also obtained from the experimental data. Our results have implications for bilayer graphene electronic devices.