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Aging in a relaxor ferroelectric: scaling and memory effects
E V Colla1, L K Chao, M B Weissman
1Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801-3080, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|September 27, 2000
Summary
Zero-field aging in relaxor ferroelectric lead magnesium niobate (Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3) exhibits spin-glass-like behavior below a phase transition. This indicates a hierarchical arrangement of states, with aging at higher temperatures being stable at lower temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Ferroelectricity
Background:
- Relaxor ferroelectrics exhibit complex dielectric properties.
- Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3 is a model relaxor ferroelectric material.
- Aging phenomena are crucial for understanding material dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the zero-field aging properties of Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3.
- To identify temperature-dependent crossovers in aging behavior.
- To compare aging dynamics with spin glass systems.
Main Methods:
- Experimental measurements of time-frequency dependence under zero-field aging conditions.
- Analysis of nonlinear susceptibility to detect phase transitions.
- Comparison of aging behavior with established spin glass models.
Main Results:
- A temperature-dependent crossover in zero-field aging was observed in Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3.
- Below a suspected phase transition temperature, aging behavior resembles that of spin glasses, showing scale-independent time-frequency dependence.
- Aging at higher temperatures is stable upon cooling, but not vice versa, suggesting a hierarchical state arrangement.
Conclusions:
- The aging properties of relaxor ferroelectrics can exhibit spin-glass-like characteristics.
- A hierarchical arrangement of states is indicated by the observed aging dynamics.
- These findings offer insights into the fundamental physics of disordered systems.