Observation of critical slowing down at the structural phase transition in p-terphenyl by high-resolution neutron spectroscopy

Abstract
The high-energy resolution of the neutron backscattering technique was used to observe the critical slowing down of the orientational fluctuations of phenyl rings in p-terphenyl above the order-disorder phase transition at Tc approximately=180K. The observed relaxation times tau c range from approximately 2*10-11 s at room temperature up to 1.15*10-8 s close to Tc.