Random potential effect near the bicritical region in perovskite manganites as revealed by comparison with the ordered perovskite analogs

Colossal magnetoresistance in the multiple wave vector charge density wave regime of an antiferromagnetic Dirac semimetal

Colossal negative magnetoresistance is a well-known phenomenon, notably observed in hole-doped ferromagnetic manganites. It remains a major research topic due to its potential in technological applications. In contrast, topological semimetals show large but positive magnetoresistance, originated from the high-mobility charge carriers. Here, we show that in the highly electron-doped region, the Dirac semimetal CeSbTe demonstrates similar properties as the manganites. CeSb0.11Te1.90 hosts multiple charge density wave modulation vectors and has a complex magnetic phase diagram. We confirm that this compound is an antiferromagnetic Dirac semimetal. Despite having a metallic Fermi surface, the electronic transport properties are semiconductor-like and deviate from known theoretical models. An external magnetic field induces a semiconductor metal-like transition, which results in a colossal negative magnetoresistance. Moreover, signatures of the coupling between the charge density wave and a spin modulation are observed in resistivity. This spin modulation also produces a giant anomalous Hall response.

Hall Effect Anisotropy in the Paramagnetic Phase of Ho0.8Lu0.2B12 Induced by Dynamic Charge Stripes

A detailed study of charge transport in the paramagnetic phase of the cage-cluster dodecaboride Ho0.8Lu0.2B12 with an instability both of the fcc lattice (cooperative Jahn−Teller effect) and the electronic structure (dynamic charge stripes) was carried out at temperatures 1.9−300 K in magnetic fields up to 80 kOe. Four mono-domain single crystals of Ho0.8Lu0.2B12 samples with different crystal axis orientation were investigated in order to establish the singularities of Hall effect, which develop due to (i) the electronic phase separation (stripes) and (ii) formation of the disordered cage-glass state below T*~60 K. It was demonstrated that a considerable intrinsic anisotropic positive component ρanxy appears at low temperatures in addition to the ordinary negative Hall resistivity contribution in magnetic fields above 40 kOe applied along the [001] and [110] axes. A relation between anomalous components of the resistivity tensor ρanxy~ρanxx1.7 was found for H||[001] below T*~60 K, and a power law ρanxy~ρanxx0.83 for the orientation H||[110] at temperatures T < TS~15 K. It is argued that below characteristic temperature TS~15 K the anomalous odd ρanxy(T) and even ρanxx(T) parts of the resistivity tensor may be interpreted in terms of formation of long chains in the filamentary structure of fluctuating charges (stripes). We assume that these ρanxy(H||[001]) and ρanxy(H||[110]) components represent the intrinsic (Berry phase contribution) and extrinsic (skew scattering) mechanism, respectively. Apart from them, an additional ferromagnetic contribution to both isotropic and anisotropic components in the Hall signal was registered and attributed to the effect of magnetic polarization of 5d states (ferromagnetic nano-domains) in the conduction band of Ho0.8Lu0.2B12.

Simultaneous Imaging of Dopants and Free Charge Carriers by Monochromated EELS

Doping inhomogeneities in solids are not uncommon, but their microscopic observation and understanding are limited due to the lack of bulk-sensitive experimental techniques with high enough spatial and spectral resolution. Here, we demonstrate nanoscale imaging of both dopants and free charge carriers in La-doped BaSnO₃ (BLSO) using high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). By analyzing high- and low-energy excitations in EELS, we reveal chemical and electronic inhomogeneities within a single BLSO nanocrystal. The inhomogeneous doping leads to distinctive localized infrared surface plasmons, including a previously unobserved plasmon mode that is highly confined between high- and low-doping regions. We further quantify the carrier density, effective mass, and dopant activation percentage by EELS and transport measurements on the bulk single crystals of BLSO. These results not only represent a practical approach for studying heterogeneities in solids and understanding structure-property relationships at the nanoscale, but also demonstrate the possibility of infrared plasmon tuning by leveraging nanoscale doping texture.

Optical Studies on the Phase Transitions in YBaMn2O6 Single Crystals

The double perovskite YBaMn2O6 exhibited complex structural, magnetic, and charge/orbital ordering phase transitions. In this paper, we investigated the correlation between the temperature-dependent optical response and complex phase transitions of YBaMn2O6 single crystals through spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The room temperature optical absorption spectrum of YBaMn2O6 revealed three bands of approximately 1.50, 4.05, and 5.49 eV. The lowest optical absorption band was assigned to on-site d-d transitions in Mn ions, whereas the other two optical features were assigned to charge-transfer transitions between the 2p states of O and 3d states of Mn. The room temperature Raman scattering spectrum revealed 25 phonon modes. Notably, the MnO6 octahedral tilting and bending modes between 360 and 440 cm-1 increased in intensity at temperatures <200 K. Furthermore, several new phonon peaks appeared at temperatures <200 K, which were associated with charge ordering. Additionally, the magnetic order-induced changes were observed in the breathing modes, with reduced intensity of the 620 cm-1 and a substantial enhancement of the 644 cm-1 phonon peaks. The Jahn-Teller mode at approximately 496 cm-1 exhibited strong hardening at temperatures <200 K, which indicated a linear correlation with the square of the magnetic susceptibility and thus revealed the occurrence of spin-phonon coupling. Anomalies in the phonon frequency, line width, and intensity observed near the phase transition temperatures highlighted the importance of lattice-charge-spin interactions in YBaMn2O6.

Direct experimental evidence of physical origin of electronic phase separation in manganites

Electronic phase separation in complex oxides is the inhomogeneous spatial distribution of electronic phases, involving length scales much larger than those of structural defects or nonuniform distribution of chemical dopants. While experimental efforts focused on phase separation and established its correlation with nonlinear responses under external stimuli, it remains controversial whether phase separation requires quenched disorder for its realization. Early theory predicted that if perfectly "clean" samples could be grown, both phase separation and nonlinearities would be replaced by a bicritical-like phase diagram. Here, using a layer-by-layer superlattice growth technique we fabricate a fully chemically ordered "tricolor" manganite superlattice, and compare its properties with those of isovalent alloyed manganite films. Remarkably, the fully ordered manganite does not exhibit phase separation, while its presence is pronounced in the alloy. This suggests that chemical-doping-induced disorder is crucial to stabilize the potentially useful nonlinear responses of manganites, as theory predicted.

Optical Study of the Electronic Structure and Lattice Dynamics of NdBaMn2O6 Single Crystals

We investigated the electronic structure and lattice dynamics of double perovskite NdBaMn₂O₆ single crystals through spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The optical absorption band centered at approximately 0.88 eV was assigned to on-site d–d transitions in Mn, whereas the optical feature at approximately 4.10 eV was assigned to charge-transfer transitions between the 2p state of O and 3d state of Mn. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the d-d transition indicated anomalies at 290 and 235 K. The activated phonon mode, which appeared at approximately 440 cm⁻¹ alongside with the enhancement of the 270 cm⁻¹ phonon mode, coupled strongly to the metal–insulator transition at 290 K, which was associated with a charge/orbital ordering. Moreover, the MnO₆ octahedral breathing mode at 610 cm⁻¹ exhibited softening at a temperature lower than 235 K (temperature of the antiferromagnetic phase transition), which revealed the strong coupling between the lattice and magnetic degrees of freedom. The spin–phonon coupling constant obtained was λ = 2.5 cm⁻¹. These findings highlight the importance of charge–orbital–spin interactions in establishing NdBaMn₂O₆ phases with novel properties.

Room-Temperature Low-Field Colossal Magnetoresistance in Double-Perovskite Manganite

We have discovered room-temperature low-field colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in an A-site ordered NdBaMn_{2}O_{6} crystal. The resistance changes more than 2 orders of magnitude at a magnetic field lower than 2 T near 300 K. When the temperature and magnetic field sweep from an insulating (metallic) phase to a metallic (insulating) phase, the insulating (metallic) conduction changes to the metallic (insulating) conduction within 1 K and 0.5 T, respectively. The CMR is ascribed to the melting of the charge and orbital ordering. The entropy change which is estimated from the B-T phase diagram is smaller than what is expected for the charge and orbital ordering. The suppression of the entropy change is attributable to the loss of the short-range ferromagnetic fluctuation of Mn spin moments, which is an important key of the high temperature and low magnetic field CMR effect.

Learning from Imperfections: Predicting Structure and Thermodynamics from Atomic Imaging of Fluctuations

In materials characterization, traditionally a single experimental sample is used to derive information about a single point in the composition space, while the imperfections, impurities, and stochastic details of material structure are deemed irrelevant or complicating factors in the analysis. Here we demonstrate that atomic-scale studies of a single nominal composition can provide information about microstructures and thermodynamic response over a finite area of chemical space. Using the principles of statistical inference, we develop a framework for incorporating structural fluctuations into statistical mechanical models and use it to solve the inverse problem of deriving effective interatomic interactions responsible for elemental segregation in a La_5/8Ca_3/8MnO₃ thin film. The results are further analyzed by a variational autoencoder to detect anomalous behavior in the composition phase diagram. This study provides a framework for creating generative models from a combination of multiple experimental data and provides direct insight into the driving forces for cation segregation in manganites.

Magnetocaloric Materials with Multiple Instabilities

The magnetocaloric effect is a well-known phenomenon where the temperature of a magnetic material varies upon application or removal of a magnetic field. This effect is anticipated to be applied to magnetic refrigeration technology, which is environmentally benign. For practical applications, it is essential to explore and expand the materials horizon of novel magnets that exhibit giant magnetocaloric effects to achieve sufficient cooling efficiency. In this article, several attempts to enhance the magnetocaloric effect are reviewed from the viewpoint of the competition or cooperation between the ferromagnetic interaction and other magnetic, electronic, and structural instabilities in strongly correlated materials. The results indicate that both the competition and cooperation between them promote the first-order nature of the magnetic transition, leading to giant magnetocaloric effects. Therefore, exploiting multiple instabilities is a promising strategy for exploring new magnetocaloric materials.

Magnetic glass state and magnetoresistance in SrLaFeCoO6 double perovskite

Unusual features in magnetization resembling the kinetic arrest of a magnetic glass state are observed in the La-doped double perovskite, SrLaFeCoO₆. Neutron powder diffraction experiments confirm the presence of antisite disorder as well as a lack of long-range magnetic order down to 4 K in this double perovskite which displays spin glass-like features in dc and ac susceptibilities. Magnetic relaxation observed through cooling and heating under unequal fields (CHUF) point towards unusual domain dynamics which is supported by a broad memory effect. Among the two anomalies that are observed at [Formula: see text] 75 K and at [Formula: see text] 250 K in the magnetic measurements, the former is associated with a spin-freezing temperature below which the magnetic glass state is experimentally verified. The magnetometric experiments detailed in the paper bring out the non-equilibrium metastable magnetic states in this disordered magnetic system. The magnetic glass state described above manifests in the electrical resistivity [Formula: see text] through the formation of a 'hard gap' because of the spin-exchange energy following the formation of magnetic glass. It is observed that the combination of disorder and magnetic glass state leads to a large, negative magnetoresistance (MR) of  ≈47[Formula: see text] at 5 K in 8 T.

Nanoscale electrodynamics of strongly correlated quantum materials

Electronic, magnetic, and structural phase inhomogeneities are ubiquitous in strongly correlated quantum materials. The characteristic length scales of the phase inhomogeneities can range from atomic to mesoscopic, depending on their microscopic origins as well as various sample dependent factors. Therefore, progress with the understanding of correlated phenomena critically depends on the experimental techniques suitable to provide appropriate spatial resolution. This requirement is difficult to meet for some of the most informative methods in condensed matter physics, including infrared and optical spectroscopy. Yet, recent developments in near-field optics and imaging enabled a detailed characterization of the electromagnetic response with a spatial resolution down to 10 nm. Thus it is now feasible to exploit at the nanoscale well-established capabilities of optical methods for characterization of electronic processes and lattice dynamics in diverse classes of correlated quantum systems. This review offers a concise description of the state-of-the-art near-field techniques applied to prototypical correlated quantum materials. We also discuss complementary microscopic and spectroscopic methods which reveal important mesoscopic dynamics of quantum materials at different energy scales.

Evolution of the intrinsic electronic phase separation in La0.6Er0.1Sr0.3MnO3 perovskite

Magnetic and electronic transport properties of perovskite manganite La_0.6Er_0.1Sr_0.3MnO₃ have been thoroughly examined through the measurements of magnetization, electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR), and resistivity. It was found that the substitution of Er³⁺ for La³⁺ ions introduced the chemical disorder and additional strain in this sample. An extra resonance signal occurred in EPR spectra at high temperatures well above T_C gives a strong evidence of electronic phase separation(EPS). The analysis of resistivity enable us to identify the polaronic transport mechanism in the paramagnetic region. At low temperature, a new ferromagnetic interaction generates in the microdomains of Er³⁺-disorder causing the second increase of magnetization. However, the new ferromagnetic interaction does not improve but decreases electronic transport due to the enhancement of interface resistance among neighboring domains. In view of a really wide temperature region for the EPS existence, this sample provides an ideal platform to uncover the evolution law of different magnetic structures in perovskite manganites.

Superconductor to Mott insulator transition in YBa2Cu3O7/LaCaMnO3 heterostructures

The superconductor-to-insulator transition (SIT) induced by means such as external magnetic fields, disorder or spatial confinement is a vivid illustration of a quantum phase transition dramatically affecting the superconducting order parameter. In pursuit of a new realization of the SIT by interfacial charge transfer, we developed extremely thin superlattices composed of high Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) and colossal magnetoresistance ferromagnet La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO). By using linearly polarized resonant X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism, combined with hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we derived a complete picture of the interfacial carrier doping in cuprate and manganite atomic layers, leading to the transition from superconducting to an unusual Mott insulating state emerging with the increase of LCMO layer thickness. In addition, contrary to the common perception that only transition metal ions may respond to the charge transfer process, we found that charge is also actively compensated by rare-earth and alkaline-earth metal ions of the interface. Such deterministic control of Tc by pure electronic doping without any hindering effects of chemical substitution is another promising route to disentangle the role of disorder on the pseudo-gap and charge density wave phases of underdoped cuprates.

Chemical ordering suppresses large-scale electronic phase separation in doped manganites

For strongly correlated oxides, it has been a long-standing issue regarding the role of the chemical ordering of the dopants on the physical properties. Here, using unit cell by unit cell superlattice growth technique, we determine the role of chemical ordering of the Pr dopant in a colossal magnetoresistant (La(1-y)Pr(y))(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3 (LPCMO) system, which has been well known for its large length-scale electronic phase separation phenomena. Our experimental results show that the chemical ordering of Pr leads to marked reduction of the length scale of electronic phase separations. Moreover, compared with the conventional Pr-disordered LPCMO system, the Pr-ordered LPCMO system has a metal-insulator transition that is ∼100 K higher because the ferromagnetic metallic phase is more dominant at all temperatures below the Curie temperature.

Enhancement of the ferromagnetic metallic phase fraction by extrinsic disorder in phase separated La(5/8-y)Pr(y)Ca(3/8)MnO3 (y = 0.45) thin film

Our study shows that extrinsic disorder plays a decisive role in shaping inhomogeneities at large length scales in phase separated systems. Epitaxial La5/8-yPryCa3/8MnO3 (y = 0.45) thin films grown on SrTiO3, LaAlO3 and NdGaO3 substrates exhibited comparable biaxial strain while showing markedly dissimilar extrinsic disorder. Compressively strained film on LaAlO3 is found to be free from extrinsic disorder and has a robust insulating phase with small phase separation while film grown on SrTiO3 shows huge extrinsic disorder due to the strain relaxation process which invokes phase separation at a large length scale that is sufficient to cross the percolation threshold and cause a metal-insulator transition.

Theory of strain-controlled magnetotransport and stabilization of the ferromagnetic insulating phase in manganite thin films

We show that applying strain on half-doped manganites makes it possible to tune the system to the proximity of a metal-insulator transition and thereby generate a colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) response. This phase competition not only allows control of CMR in ferromagnetic metallic manganites but can be used to generate CMR response in otherwise robust insulators at half-doping. Further, from our realistic microscopic model of strain and magnetotransport calculations within the Kubo formalism, we demonstrate a striking result of strain engineering that, under tensile strain, a ferromagnetic charge-ordered insulator, previously inaccessible to experiments, becomes stable.

Pinning of elastic ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interfaces in phase-separated manganites

We present a study of the magnetic properties of the Pr(0.5)Sr(0.5-x)Ca(x)MnO(3) manganite (x = 0.1 and 0.2) in the temperature region where phase separation occurs. This state is characterized by the presence of ferromagnetic (FM) inclusions inside an antiferromagnetic (AFM) matrix. The evolution of the magnetization (M) with magnetic field shows the existence of a critical field, H(C), above which M rapidly increases, indicating a sudden expansion of the FM volume against the AFM one. We analyze this behavior and the response of the magnetic susceptibility at low fields (H < H(C)) in terms of a thermally activated motion of pinned FM/AFM elastic interfaces. The pinning mechanism is likely to be related to the martensitic accommodation strain around the magnetic and structural interfaces. From this analysis we estimate the size of the FM domains and the parameters that characterize the pinning potential.

Magnetic phase diagram of nanosized half-doped manganites: role of size reduction

The magnetic properties of ~40 nm Nd(0.5)Ca(0.5)MnO(3) and Sm(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) nanoparticles are investigated by magnetometry and electronic spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. It is found that although their bulk counterparts have quite different magnetic properties at low temperatures, both the nanoparticles exhibit very similar magnetic behaviors, where the charge ordered transitions disappear and weak ferromagnetism emerges below about 100 K. A detailed analysis on the magnetic susceptibilities and the ESR linewidths reveals that for the two compounds the size reduction weakens both the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, and converts the long-range charge orderings to short-range ones. Moreover, the strength of the charge ordered correlations is observed to be not much affected by the size reduction. Based on the present results and the previous studies on various nanosized half-doped manganites, the magnetic phase diagram of the half-doped manganites with the particle sizes of ~25-40 nm is established. We find that this diagram is very similar to those for the bulk near half-doped manganites with large quenched disorder, which allows us to propose that the reported exotic phenomena in the nanosized half-doped manganites should be mainly ascribed to surface disorder effect. These results may provide a deeper insight into the role of size reduction on the physics of half-doped manganites.

Influence of B-site disorder in La0.5Ca0.5Mn(1 - x)B(x)O3 (B = Fe, Ru, Al and Ga) manganites

We have investigated the influence of B-site doping on the crystal and magnetic structure in La(0.5)Ca(0.5)Mn(1 - x)B(x)O(3) (B = Fe, Ru, Al and Ga) compounds using neutron diffraction, small angle neutron scattering, magnetization and resistivity techniques. The B-site doped samples are isostructural and possess an orthorhombic structure in the Pnma space group at 300 K. A structural transition from orthorhombic to monoclinic is found to precede the magnetic transition to the CE-type antiferromagnetic state in a few of these samples. On doping with Fe, the charge and orbitally ordered CE-type antiferromagnetic state is suppressed, followed by growth of the ferromagnetic insulating phase in 0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.06 compounds. At higher Fe doping in x > 0.06, the ferromagnetic state is also suppressed and no evidence of long range magnetic ordering is observed. In Ru doped samples (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.05), the ferromagnetic metallic state is favored at T(C)≈200 K and T(MI)≈125 K and no significant change in T(C) and T(MI) as a function of Ru doping is found. In contrast, with non-magnetic Al substitution for 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.03, the charge ordered CE-type antiferromagnetic state coexists with the ferromagnetic metallic phase. With further increase in Al doping (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.07), both CE-type antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic phases are gradually suppressed. This behavior is accompanied by the evolution of an A-type antiferromagnetic insulating state. Eventually, at higher Al doping (0.10 ≤ x ≤ 0.13), this phase is also suppressed and the signature of a spin glass like transition is evident in M(T). Likewise, substitution with Ga is observed to induce similar effects to those described for Al doped samples. The presence of short ranged ferromagnetic ordering has been further explored using small angle neutron scattering measurements in a few of the selected samples.

Memory effect in Dy0.5Sr0.5MnO3 single crystals

We have performed a series of magnetic aging experiments on single crystals of Dy(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3). The results demonstrate striking memory and chaos-like effects in this insulating half-doped perovskite manganite and suggest the existence of strong magnetic relaxation mechanisms of a clustered magnetic state. The spin-glass-like state established below a temperature T(sg)≈ 34 K originates from quenched disorder arising due to the ionic-radii mismatch at the rare earth site. However, deviations from the typical behavior seen in canonical spin glass materials are observed which indicate that the glassy magnetic properties are due to cooperative and frustrated dynamics in a heterogeneous or clustered magnetic state. In particular, the microscopic spin flip time obtained from dynamical scaling near the spin glass freezing temperature is four orders of magnitude larger than microscopic times found in atomic spin glasses. The magnetic viscosity deduced from the time dependence of the zero-field-cooled magnetization exhibits a peak at a temperature T < T(sg) and displays a marked dependence on waiting time in zero field.

Evidence for the strong effect of quenched correlated disorder on phase separation and magnetism in (La(1-y)Pr(y))0.7Ca0.3MnO3

High resolution neutron diffraction shows that the mesoscopic separation into ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases and the FM transition temperature T(C) in the perovskite manganite (La(1-y)Pr(y))(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO(3) strongly depend on the quenched correlated disorder. The different disorder strengths are achieved by different procedures of the sample synthesis and are quantitatively characterized by the microstrain-type diffraction peak broadening. The system shifts to predominantly a one-phase state with smaller T(C) as the correlated disorder strength is decreased, supporting the viewpoint that the origin of phase separation in the indicated manganite system is the correlated quenched disorder. The ground state of an ultimately chemically homogeneous sample is FM-like containing about 20% of the AFM minority phase. This FM-like state can be readily transformed to the AFM-like one having < 20% of the FM phase by the decrease of the effective charge carrier bandwidth via oxygen isotope substitution.

Substitutional disorder and charge localization in manganites

In the manganites RE(1 - x)AE(x)MnO(3) (RE and AE being rare-earth and alkaline-earth elements, respectively) the random distribution of RE(3 + ) and AE(2 + ) induces random, but correlated, shifts of site energies of charge carriers in the Mn sites. We consider a realistic model of this diagonal disorder, in addition to the double-exchange hopping disorder, and investigate the metal-insulator transition as a function of temperature, across the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic line, and as a function of doping  x. Contrary to previous results, we find that values of parameters, estimated from the electronic structure of the manganites, are not incompatible with the possibility of a disorder-induced metal to insulator transition accompanying the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition at intermediate doping (x ∼ 0.2-0.4). These findings indicate clearly that substitutional disorder has to be considered as an important effect when addressing the colossal magnetoresistance properties of manganites.

An investigation of first-order transition across charge ordered and ferromagnetic phases in Gd(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO3 single crystals by magnetic and magnetotransport studies

Gadolinium strontium manganite single crystals of the composition Gd(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) were grown using the optical float zone method. We report here the magnetic and magnetotransport properties of these crystals. A large magnetoresistance ∼10(9)% was observed at 45 K under the application of a 110 kOe field. We have observed notable thermomagnetic anomalies such as open hysteresis loops across the broadened first-order transition between the charge order insulator and the ferromagnetic metallic phase while traversing the magnetic field-temperature (H-T) plane isothermally or isomagnetically. In order to discern the cause of these observed anomalies, the H-T phase diagram for Gd(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) is formulated using the magnetization-field (M-H), magnetization-temperature (M-T) and resistance-temperature (R-T) measurements. The temperature dependence of the critical field (i.e. H(up), the field required for transformation to the ferromagnetic metallic phase) is non-monotonic. We note that the non-monotonic variation of the supercooling limit is anomalous according to the classical concepts of the first-order phase transition. Accordingly, H(up) values below ∼20 K are unsuitable to represent the supercooling limit. It is possible that the nature of the metastable states responsible for the observed open hysteresis loops is different from that of the supercooled ones.

Enhanced ordering temperatures in antiferromagnetic manganite superlattices

The disorder inherent to doping by cation substitution in the complex oxides can have profound effects on collective-ordered states. Here, we demonstrate that cation-site ordering achieved through digital-synthesis techniques can dramatically enhance the antiferromagnetic ordering temperatures of manganite films. Cation-ordered (LaMnO3)m/(SrMnO3)2m superlattices show Néel temperatures (TN) that are the highest of any La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 compound, approximately 70 K greater than compositionally equivalent randomly doped La(1/3)Sr(2/3)MnO3. The antiferromagnetic order is A-type, consisting of in-plane double-exchange-mediated ferromagnetic sheets coupled antiferromagnetically along the out-of-plane direction. Through synchrotron X-ray scattering, we have discovered an in-plane structural modulation that reduces the charge itinerancy and hence the ordering temperature within the ferromagnetic sheets, thereby limiting TN. This modulation is mitigated and driven to long wavelengths by cation ordering, enabling the higher TN values of the superlattices. These results provide insight into how cation-site ordering can enhance cooperative behaviour in oxides through subtle structural phenomena.

Striped multiferroic phase in double-exchange model for quarter-doped manganites

The phase diagram of quarter-hole-doped perovskite manganites is investigated using the double-exchange model. An exotic striped type-II multiferroic phase, where 25% of the nearest-neighbor spin couplings are orthogonal to each other, is found in the narrow-bandwidth region. Comparing with the spiral-spin ordering phase of undoped manganites, the multiferroic Curie temperature of the new phase is estimated to be approximately 4 times higher, while the ferroelectric polarization is similar in magnitude. Our study provides a path for noncollinear spin multiferroics based on electronic self-organization, different from the traditional approach based on superexchange frustration.

Orbital order at Mn and O sites and absence of Zener polaron formation in manganites

We report the doping dependence of the ground state of A-site ordered manganites below and above half doping. Energy and polarization dependence of the orbital reflection, taken by resonant soft-x-ray powder diffraction, at both Mn L(2,3) and O K edges, provides direct evidence for orbital order at Mn(3+) and oxygen sites and absence of Zener polaron formation. For x > or = 0.2 anomalous melting of the orbital order is observed, which is coupled neither to magnetic ordering nor to a structural transition, indicating a two-dimensional character of the interactions.

Zener polaron ordering variants induced by A-site ordering in half-doped manganites

We have studied the magnetism of the half-doped charge ordered manganite YBaMn2O6. A formation of ferromagnetic plaquettes of four Mn atoms in the charge ordered phase below T_{CO} approximately 480 K is inferred from high temperature magnetic susceptibility data and the magnetic structure, as determined by neutron powder diffraction at T=1.5 K. The results indicate that new fourfold Mn paramagnetic units form between T_{N}<T<T_{CO}, and that they order in a noncollinear mode below T_{N}=190 K. The magnetism of YBaMn2O6 is consistent with what is expected from the Zener polarons ordering picture of the charge ordering phenomenon in manganites [A. Daoud-Aladine, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 097205 (2002)10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.097205].

Investigations on the spin-glass state in Dy(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) single crystals through structural, magnetic and thermal properties

Single crystals of Dy(0.5)Sr(0.5)MnO(3) are grown using the optical floating zone technique, and their structural, magnetic, transport and thermal properties have been investigated. Magnetization measurements under field-cooled and zero-field-cooled conditions display irreversibility below 35 K. The magnetization does not saturate up to fields of 5 T in the temperature range 5-350 K. AC susceptibility shows a cusp around 32 K that shifts to higher temperature with increasing frequency. This frequency dependence of the peak temperature follows a critical slowing down with exponent zν = 3.6. Electrical resistivity shows insulating behavior, and the application of magnetic fields up to 10 T does not change this qualitative behavior. However, a marked negative magnetoresistance is observed in the paramagnetic phase reaching 80% at 70 K and 10 T. The observed resistivity behavior does not obey an activated type of conduction. These features are characteristic of spin-glass behavior in this half-doped insulating manganite. It is argued that the spin-glass-like state originates from the A-site disorder, which in turn results from the random distribution of cations with different ionic radii. Specific-heat measurements reveal a sizable linear contribution at low temperature that may be associated with the glassy magnetic ordering and a Schottky-like anomaly in a wide temperature range between 8 and 40 K. The distribution of Schottky levels is explained by the inhomogeneity of the molecular field in the spin-glass state that leads to variable splitting of the Kramers ground-state doublets in Dy(3+).

Metal-insulator transition and its relation to magnetic structure in (LaMnO3)2n/(SrMnO3)n superlattices

Superlattices of (LaMnO3){2n}/(SrMnO3){n} (1<or=n<or=5), composed of the gapped insulators LaMnO3 and SrMnO3, undergo a metal-insulator transition as a function of n, being metallic for n<or=2 and insulating for n>or=3. Measurements of transport, magnetization, and polarized neutron reflectivity reveal that the ferromagnetism is relatively uniform in the metallic state, and is strongly modulated in the insulating state, being high in LaMnO3 and suppressed in SrMnO3. The modulation is consistent with a Mott transition driven by the proximity between the (LaMnO3)/(SrMnO3) interfaces. The insulating state for n>or=3 obeys variable range hopping at low temperatures. We suggest that this is due to states at the Fermi level that emerge at the (LaMnO3)/(SrMnO3) interfaces and are localized by disorder.

Combined effect of bond and potential disorder in half-doped manganites

We analyze the effects of both bond and potential disorder in the vicinity of a first-order metal insulator transition in a two-band model for manganites using a real-space Monte Carlo method. Our results reveal a novel charge-ordered state coexisting with spin-glass behavior. We provide the basis for understanding the phase diagrams of half-doped manganites, and contrast the effects of bond and potential disorder and the combination of both.

Distinct effects of homogeneous weak disorder and dilute strong scatterers on phase competition in manganites

We study the two orbital double-exchange model in two dimensions including antiferromagnetic (AFM) superexchange, Jahn-Teller coupling, and substitutional disorder. At hole doping x = 0.5 we focus on phase competition between the ferromagnetic metal (FMM) and the charge-ordered (CO) and orbital-ordered (OO) CE state and compare the impact of weak homogeneous disorder to that of a low density of strong scatterers. Even moderate homogeneous disorder suppresses the CE-CO-OO phase and leads to a glass with nanoscale correlations, while dilute strong scatterers of comparable strength convert the CE-CO-OO phase to a phase separated state with ferromagnetic metal and AFM-CO-OO clusters.

Magnons in ferromagnetic metallic manganites

Ferromagnetic (FM) manganites, a group of likely half-metallic oxides, are of special interest not only because they are a testing ground for the classical double-exchange interaction mechanism for the 'colossal' magnetoresistance, but also because they exhibit an extraordinary arena of emergent phenomena. These emergent phenomena are related to the complexity associated with strong interplay between charge, spin, orbital, and lattice. In this review, we focus on the use of inelastic neutron scattering to study the spin dynamics, mainly the magnon excitations in this class of FM metallic materials. In particular, we discuss the unusual magnon softening and damping near the Brillouin zone boundary in relatively narrow-band compounds with strong Jahn-Teller lattice distortion and charge-orbital correlations. The anomalous behaviours of magnons in these compounds indicate the likelihood of cooperative excitations involving spin and lattice as well as orbital degrees of freedom.

Peculiar ferrimagnetism associated with charge order in layered perovskite GdBaMn2O5.0

The magnetic properties of GdBaMn2O5.0, which exhibits charge ordering, are studied from 2 to 400 K using single crystals. In a small magnetic field applied along the easy axis, the magnetization M shows a temperature-induced reversal which is sometimes found in ferrimagnets. In a large magnetic field, on the other hand, a sharp change in the slope of M(T) coming from an unusual turnabout of the magnetization of the Mn sublattices is observed. Those observations are essentially explained by a molecular field theory which highlights the role of delicate magnetic interactions between Gd3+ ions and the antiferromagnetically coupled Mn2+/Mn3+ sublattices.

Magnetic imaging of a supercooling glass transition in a weakly disordered ferromagnet

Spin glasses are founded in the frustration and randomness of microscopic magnetic interactions. They are non-ergodic systems where replica symmetry is broken. Although magnetic glassy behaviour has been observed in many colossal magnetoresistive manganites, there is no consensus that they are spin glasses. Here, an intriguing glass transition in (La,Pr,Ca)MnO3 is imaged using a variable-temperature magnetic force microscope. In contrast to the speculated spin-glass picture, our results show that the observed static magnetic configuration seen below the glass-transition temperature arises from the cooperative freezing of the first-order antiferromagnetic (charge ordered) to ferromagnetic transition. Our data also suggest that accommodation strain is important in the kinetics of the phase transition. This cooperative freezing idea has been applied to structural glasses including window glasses and supercooled liquids, and may be applicable across many systems to any first-order phase transition occurring on a complex free-energy landscape.

A-site ordering versus electronic inhomogeneity in colossally magnetoresistive manganite films

Epitaxial La(3/4)Ca(1/4)MnO3/MgO(100) (LCMO) thin film shows an unusual rhombohedral (R-3c) structure with a new perovskite superstructure at room temperature due to the CE-type ordering of La and Ca with modulation vector q=1/4[011]. A-site ordered film was found to be electronically homogeneous down to the 1 nm scale as revealed by scanning tunnelling microscopy/spectroscopy. In contrast, orthorhombic and A-site disordered LCMO demonstrate a mesoscopic phase separation far below the Curie temperature (TC). Unique La/Ca ordering compensates the cation mismatch stress within one supercell, a(S) approximately 1.55 nm, and enhances the electronic homogeneity. The phase separation does not seem to be a unique mechanism for the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) as very large CMR approximately 500% was also observed in A-site ordered films.

Evolution of spin-wave excitations in ferromagnetic metallic manganites

Neutron scattering results are presented for spin-wave excitations of three ferromagnetic metallic A1-xA'xMnO3 manganites (where A and A' are rare- and alkaline-earth-metal ions), which when combined with previous work elucidate the systematics of the interactions as a function of carrier concentration x, on-site disorder, and strength of the lattice distortion. The long-wavelength spin dynamics show only a very weak dependence across the series. The ratio of fourth to first neighbor exchange (J4/J1) that controls the zone boundary magnon softening changes systematically with x, but does not depend on the other parameters. None of the prevailing models can account for these behaviors.

Phase separation in A-site-ordered perovskite manganite LaBaMn2O6 probed by 139La and 55Mn NMR

139La- and 55Mn-NMR spectra demonstrate that the ground state of the A-site-ordered perovskite manganite LaBaMn2O6 is a spatial mixture of the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic regions, which are assigned to the metallic and the insulating charge ordered state, respectively. This exotic coexisting state appears below 200 K via a first-order-like formation of the antiferromagnetic charge ordered state inside the ferromagnetic metal one. The Mn spin-spin relaxation rate indicates that the ferromagnetic region coexisting with the antiferromagnetic one in LaBaMn2O6 is identical to the bulk ferromagnetic metal phase of the disordered form La0.5Ba0.5MnO3 in spite of the absence of A-site disorder. This suggests a mesoscopic rather than nanoscopic nature of the ferromagnetic region in LaBaMn2O6.

Insulator-metal phase diagram of the optimally doped manganites from the disordered Holstein-double exchange model

We study the Holstein-double exchange model in three dimensions in the presence of substitutional disorder. Using a new Monte Carlo technique we establish the phase diagram of the clean model and then focus on the effect of varying electron-phonon coupling and disorder at fixed electron density. We demonstrate how extrinsic disorder controls the interplay of lattice polaron effects and spin fluctuations and leads to widely varying regimes in transport. Our results on the disorder dependence of the ferromagnetic T(C) and metal-insulator transitions bear direct comparison to data on the "optimally doped," x = 0.3-0.4, manganites. We highlight disorder induced polaron formation as a key effect in these materials, organize a wide variety of data into a simple "global phase diagram," and make several experimental predictions.

Observation of a griffiths phase in paramagnetic La1-xSrxMnO3

We report on the discovery of a novel triangular phase regime in the system La1-xSrxMnO3 by means of electron spin resonance and magnetic susceptibility measurements. This phase is characterized by the coexistence of ferromagnetic entities within the globally paramagnetic phase far above the magnetic ordering temperature. The nature of this phase can be understood in terms of Griffiths singularities arising due to the presence of correlated quenched disorder in the orthorhombic phase.