Acoustic evidence of distinctive temperatures in relaxor-multiferroics

We present an acoustic study of relaxor ferroelectrics with magnetic ordering PbFexB1-xO3 (B = Nb, Ta, W) in the wide temperature range from 100 to 750K as well as relaxor PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 at temperatures from 300 to 750 K. The longitudinal and transverse acoustic wave velocity and attenuation have been measured by the ultrasonic pulse-echo technique at frequencies of 5 and 10MHz. The strong anomalies observed in the longitudinal sound velocity and attenuation versus temperature are correlated with a temperature range of the coexistence of relaxor ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic states. Attenuation peaks have been observed at distinctive temperatures for relaxors, i.e., at T-B (Burns temperature) and T* (an additional distinctive temperature). Fluctuations of the polar nanoregion boundaries are considered as the source of the acoustic anomalies. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.