Recent advances in domain analysis

Recent progress in domain analysis, which has been attained by the notable advancement of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), is reviewed by selecting certain topics related to displacive and magnetic phase transformations. Energy-filtered TEM, which separates the elastic scattering from the unwanted inelastic one, enabled us to explore the complex phenomena in the precursor state of martensitic transformations. In particular, the discovery of the peculiar nano-scaled domains in the parent phase has offered a novel picture on the lattice distortion in the precursor state and the subsequent nucleation process of a martensite. With respect to the analysis of magnetic domains, the authors have devised a technique that precisely evaluates the magnetization distribution based on electron holography. The method was applied to the complicated magnetic microstructure as observed near the Curie temperature and/or Néel temperature in hole-doped manganites. In addition to these topics, similarities of crystallographic domains between martensites and charge-ordered manganites, correlations between crystallographic microstructures (e.g., antiphase boundaries) and magnetic domains, and future challenging issues regarding domain analysis will also be mentioned.