Abstract
Raman spectroscopy is employed to probe directly the soft rotation and tilting modes, which are two primary order parameters predicted in the hybrid improper ferroelectric material Ca3Mn2O7. We observe a giant softening of the 107-cm-1 octahedron tilting mode by 26cm-1 on heating through the structural transition from a ferroelectric to paraelectric orthorhombic phase. This is contrasted by a small softening of the 150-cm-1 rotational mode by 6cm-1. In the intermediate phase, the competing soft modes with different symmetries coexist, bringing about many-faceted anomalies in spin excitations and lattice vibrations. Our work demonstrates that the soft rotation and tilt patterns, relying on a phase-transition path, are a key factor in determining ferroelectric, magnetic, and lattice properties of Ca3Mn2O7.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 094104 |
Journal | Physical Review B |
Volume | 97 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 14 2018 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics