Relaxor ferroelectricity and the freezing of short-range polar order in magnetite

F. Schrettle, S. Krohns, P. Lunkenheimer, V. A. M. Brabers, and A. Loidl
Phys. Rev. B 83, 195109 – Published 6 May 2011

Abstract

A thorough investigation of single-crystalline magnetite using broadband dielectric spectroscopy and other methods provides evidence for relaxorlike polar order in Fe3O4. We find long-range ferroelectric order to be impeded by the continuous freezing of polar degrees of freedom and the formation of a tunneling-dominated glasslike state at low temperatures. This also explains the lack of clear evidence for a noncentrosymmetric crystal structure below the Verwey transition. Within the framework of recent models assuming an intimate relation of charge and polar order, the charge order, too, can be speculated to be of short-range type only and to be dominated by tunneling at low temperatures.

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  • Received 23 March 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.195109

©2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

F. Schrettle1, S. Krohns1, P. Lunkenheimer1,*, V. A. M. Brabers2, and A. Loidl1

  • 1Experimental Physics V, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, University of Augsburg, D-86135 Augsburg, Germany
  • 2Department of Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

  • *peter.lunkenheimer@Physik.Uni-Augsburg.de

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Vol. 83, Iss. 19 — 15 May 2011

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