Temperature dependence of the generalized vibrational density of states of sodium bismuth titanate in the ferroelectric phase

Abstract

This paper describes studies of relaxor ferroelectric Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 (NBT) by inelastic incoherent neutron scattering at temperatures from 50 to 300 K. Experimental time-of-flight spectra were recalculated into the generalized vibrational density of states (VDOS) function in terms of one-particle incoherent approximation and compared with the behavior of Raman spectra. It is shown that the VDOS of NBT in the ferroelectric phase has nontrivial temperature dependence. The relation between the temperature dependence of VDOS and the instability of the NBT crystalline lattice below room temperature is discussed.