Condensation of the atomic relaxation vibrations in lead-magnesium-niobate at T=T*

We present neutron diffraction, dielectric permittivity, and photoconductivity measurements, evidencing that lead-magnesium niobate experiences a diffuse phase transformation between the spherical glass and quadrupole glass phases, in the temperature interval between 400 K and 500 K, with the quadrupole phase possessing extremely high magnitudes of dielectric permittivity. Our analysis shows that the integral diffuse scattering intensity may serve as an order parameter for this transformation. Our experimental dielectric permittivity data support this choice. These data are important for the applications desiring giant dielectric responses in a wide temperature intervals and not related to electron's excitations. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.