High resolution Raman study of the soft mode in the incommensurate bis(4-chlorophenyl)sulfone

C. Ecolivet; M. Sougoti; Y. Delugeard; S. Beaufils

doi:doi:10.1051/jp1:1994199

Numéro		J. Phys. I France Volume 4, Numéro 10, October 1994


Page(s)		1451 - 1460
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/jp1:1994199

DOI: 10.1051/jp1:1994199
J. Phys. I France 4 (1994) 1451-1460

High resolution Raman study of the soft mode in the incommensurate bis(4-chlorophenyl)sulfone

C. Ecolivet, M. Sougoti, Y. Delugeard and S. Beaufils

Groupe Matière Condensée et Matériaux, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France

(Received 22 April 1994, accepted in final form 7 July 1994)

Abstract
The soft optical mode of bis(4-chlorophenyl)sulfone is analysed up to the incommensurate transition temperature $T_{\rm i}$ with both a tandem of Fabry-Perot interferometers and a triple monochromator. High resolution spectra ( $\sim 4$ GHz ) of the soft mode reveal a mean field behaviour up to $T_{\rm i} - 4$ K, but between $T_{\rm i}$ and this temperature the frequency of the soft mode saturates whereas its linewidth increases and its intensity decreases. The occurrence of second order scattering with a very slow decrease of its intensity above $T_{\rm i}$ precludes the explanation of the observed soft mode blocking by a divergence of the second order scattering. Different spectral profiles of the soft mode have been recorded in the (bb) and ( $\gamma \gamma$ ) polarizations, $\gamma$ being the principal dielectric axis parallel to the molecular long axis. Within single mode analysis, excess intensity is found between the soft mode and the longitudinal acoustic mode in the ( $\gamma \gamma$ ) polarization. This intensity is assigned to a coupling effect between these modes whereas a phason contribution is ruled out for reasons of symmetry and temperature behaviour.