Coupling between phonon and crystal-field excitations in multiferroic ${\mathrm{PrFe}}_3\left({\mathrm{BO}}_3\right){}_4$

Journal Article · Tue Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.121101· OSTI ID:1354310

Boldyrev, K. N.; Stanislavchuk, T. N.; Sirenko, A. A.; Bezmaternykh, L. N.; Popova, M. N.

Far-infrared reflection and ellipsometry measurements on multiferroic PrFe ₃ ( BO ₃ ) ₄ and SmFe ₃ ( BO ₃ ) ₄ single crystals were used to investigate the interaction between lattice phonons and electronic excitations associated with 4 f crystal-field transitions. A temperature-dependent interference between two types of excitations was observed in PrFe ₃ ( BO ₃ ) ₄ in which the frequency of 4 f crystal-field electronic excitation of Pr ^{3 +} falls into the TO-LO frequency interval of the optical phonon mode near 50 cm ^{- 1} (1.5 THz). Experimental data were explained on the basis of a theoretical model of coupled electron-phonon modes. The fitting procedure revealed the value 14.8 cm ^{- 1} for the electron-phonon coupling constant. This rather large value points to an essential role played by the electron-phonon interaction in the physics of multiferroics.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• DOE Contract Number: SC00112704
• OSTI ID: 1354310
• Report Number(s): BNL-112826-2016-JA; PRBMDO
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 90, Issue 12; ISSN 1098-0121
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY