Local disorder studied inSrTiO3at low temperature by EXAFS spectroscopy

The temperature dependence of the local distortions in ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ has been studied by EXAFS spectroscopy at the titanium K edge (4982 eV). The oxygen-ion Debye-Waller factor ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{0}^{2}$ has been determined from 4.5 to 240 K. The antiferrodistortive transition at 105 K is evidenced by a step in this Debye-Waller factor. At about 31 K, a maximum of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{0}^{2}$ is detected and the EXAFS oscillations due to the first oxygen shell increase. This is the signature of a maximum disorder in the lattice vibrations in this temperature range. A quasiharmonic model with a sinusoidal modulation of the Ti-O distance cannot account for t…