Frequency Dependence of Aging, Rejuvenation and Memory in a disordered ferroelectric

Abstract

We characterize in details the aging properties of the ferroelectric phase of K Ta_{1-x} Nb_x O_3 (KTN), where both rejuvenation and (partial) memory are observed. In particular, we carefully examine the frequency dependence of several quantities that characterize aging, rejuvenation and memory. We find a marked subaging behaviour, with an a.c. dielectric susceptiblity scaling as $\omega \sqrt{t_w}$, where $t_w$ is the waiting time. We suggest an interpretation in terms of pinned domain walls, much along the lines proposed for aging in a disordered ferromagnet, where both domain wall reconformations and overall (cumulative) domain growth are needed to rationalize the experimental findings.