Observation of an exotic lattice structure in the transparent <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">K</mml:mi><mml:mi>Ta</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>Nb</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">O</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math> perovskite supercrystal
Leonardo Lo Presti, Jacopo Parravicini, Raffaella Soave, Gianbattista Parravicini, Michele Mauri, Laura Loconte, F. Di Mei, Ludovica Falsi, Luca Tartara, S. Binetti, Aharon J. Agranat, E. DelRe
Abstract
We perform redundant x-ray diffraction versus temperature experiments in bulk transparent KTN. We find a violation of the standard perovskite cubic-to-tetragonal symmetry breaking at the Curie point in the form of an orthorhombic cell distortion. The lattice distortion spans coherently macroscopic volumes of the sample and is characterized by a negative-to-zero thermal volume expansion. Dielectric measurements and calorimetry indicate that the anomalous behavior is not associated to a distinct thermodynamic phase. The comparison of linear and nonlinear optical scattering experiments with structural data suggests that the lattice distortion is a consequence of strain relaxation to a 3D superlattice of polarization vortices.