Translational and rotational mode coupling in disordered ferroelectric KTa(1-x)Nb(x)O(3) studied by Raman spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study uses Raman spectroscopy to reveal strong coupling between translational and reorientational modes in the ferroelectric KTa(1-x)Nb(x)O(3), explaining spectral features and mode softening.

Contribution

It demonstrates the significant coupling of translational and reorientational motions in a simple ferroelectric, providing insights into complex internal degrees of freedom in disordered systems.

Findings

Strong coupling causes depolarized Raman spectral components.

Coupling leads to softening of the transverse acoustic mode.

Reorientational motion ceases below a certain transition temperature.

Abstract

The coupling of translational modes to the reorientational motion is an essential property of systems with internal orientational degrees of freedom. Due to their high complexity most of those systems (molecular crystals, glasses...) present a major puzzle for scientists. In this paper we analyze the Raman scattering of a relatively simple ferroelectric system, KTa(1-x)Nb(x)O(3), which may serve as a model for more complicated cases. We are showing that there is a strong coupling between translational and reorientational motion in the crystal. Our data suggest that this coupling is the main reason for the depolarized component of the second order Raman spectra and that it is also responsible for lowering of the frequency (softening) of the transverse acoustic mode down to the third of three transitions, below which reorientational motion is no longer allowed.