  The relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/Nb2/3O3 was investigated by means of
broad-band dielectric and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) transmission
spectroscopy in the frequency range from 1 MHz to 15 THz at temperatures
between 20 and 900 K using PMN films on infrared transparent sapphire
substrates. While thin film relaxors display reduced dielectric permittivity at
low frequencies, their high frequency intrinsic or lattice response is shown to
be the same as single crystal/ceramic specemins. It was observed that in
contrast to the results of inelastic neutron scattering, the optic soft mode
was underdamped at all temperatures. On heating, the TO1 soft phonon followed
the Cochran law with an extrapolated critical temperature equal to the Burns
temperature of 670 K and softened down to 50 cm-1. Above 450 K the soft mode
frequency leveled off and slightly increased above the Burns temperature. A
central mode, describing the dynamics of polar nanoclusters appeared below the
Burns temperature at frequencies near the optic soft mode and dramatically
slowed down below 1 MHz on cooling below room temperature. It broadened on
cooling, giving rise to frequency independent losses in microwave and lower
frequency range below the freezing temperature of 200 K. In addition, a new
heavily damped mode appeared in the FTIR spectra below the soft mode frequency
at room temperature and below. The origin of this mode as well as the
discrepancy between the soft mode damping in neutron and infrared spectra is
discussed.
