Suppression of the order parameter correlation length by inhomogeneous strains

Very recently we presented puzzling results of diffuse neutron scattering e xperiments on KSCN and RbSCN. The data yield an increase of the diffuse int ensity with increasing temperature below T-c, whereas the width remains con stant. Using molecular dynamics and 3D Monte Carlo simulations, we have sho wn that below T-c the width of the correlation functions can be stabilized by strain fields originating from the order parameter strain interactions. Hen we construct a novel analytic model which predicts the existence of a s econd characteristic length scale and explains the suppression of the growt h of precursor clusters by the influence of inhomogeneous strain fields.