Low dimensional ordering and fluctuations in methanol-$\beta$-hydroquinone-clathrate studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction

TL;DR

This study uses X-ray and neutron diffraction to analyze the structural ordering and fluctuations in methanol-$eta$-hydroquinone-clathrate, providing insights into its dielectric behavior and critical phenomena.

Contribution

It offers a detailed structural and fluctuation analysis of methanol-$eta$-hydroquinone-clathrate, linking microscopic models to dielectric properties.

Findings

Identification of ordered structure and critical scattering behaviors.

Temperature dependence of lattice constants correlates with dielectric fluctuations.

Microscopic pseudospin models explain observed phenomena.

Abstract

Methanol-$\beta$-hydroquinone-clathrate has been established as a model system for dielectric ordering and fluctuations and is conceptually close to magnetic spin systems. In X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments, we investigated the ordered structure, the one-dimensional (1D) and the three-dimensional (3D) critical scattering in the paraelectric phase, and the temperature dependence of the lattice constants. Our results can be explained by microscopic models of the methanol pseudospin in the hydroquinone cage network, in consistency with previous dielectric investigations.