2005/02/22 by Guangyong Xu, P. M. Gehring, G. Shirane
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials #Multiferroics and related materials #Photorefractive and Nonlinear Optics #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.72.214106
arxiv created 2005/02/22 · openalex publication_date 2005/12/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The response of polar nanoregions (PNR) in the ferroelectric relaxor Pb[(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)0.92Ti0.08]O3 subject to a [111]-oriented electric field has been studied by neutron diffuse scattering. Contrary to classical expectations, the diffuse scattering associated with the PNR persists, and is even partially enhanced, after field cooling. The effect of the external electric field is retained by the PNR after the field is removed. The ``memory'' of the applied field reappears even after heating the system above the Curie temperature TC and cooling in zero field.