Formation of a quasi-equilibrium domain structure of crystals of the TGS group near TC

In the temperature range ΔT ≈ 321 K ÷ 322 K, the kinetics of the nonequilibrium domain structure of triglycine sulphate crystals, both pure and with specially introduced defects, has been studied by means of piezoresponse force microscopy technique. The temporal change in the domain structure as a set of regions with a scalar order parameter of P (r, t) = +1 and −1 for oppositely polarized domains was analysed by the behaviour of the space-time correlation function C(r,t) = ·Р(r,t)Р(0,t)Ò. At different distances from the Curie point Tc, the characteristic length Lc, as a scale measure of the average domain size, increases with time according to the power law Lc(t)~(t−t0)a. A decrease of the exponent a with distance from Tc can be a consequence of the transition of the domain structure of TGS crystals from a non-conservative state to aconservative one.