Ferroelectrics with a glassy polarization phase

Abstract

In this paper we discuss some of the measurements and properties of materials that are crystalline ferroelectrics with a glassy polarization phase. We review measurements of the temperature dependence of the optical index of refraction, n(T), which were first used to observe these properties. Then we discuss a model of these polarization effects in terms of a local, randomly oriented polarization (P_r) that may occur hundreds of degrees above T_c. This local polarization is allowed by the strong breakdown of the translational symmetry that occurs in these systems. We also show how the temperature dependence of the strain, x(T), complements the n(T) results. Lastly, we discuss some recent x-ray and EXAFS measurements and how they are in agreement with the model, and the connection between these high temperature effects and the low-temperature glass-like excitations that are found in these systems.