2007/05/31 by Damien Saurel, D. Saurel, Ch. Simon +4
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Antiferromagnetism #Condensed matter physics #Ferromagnetism #Magnetic Properties of Alloys #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Magnetic field #Magnetization #Materials science #Mesoscopic physics #Metastability #Neutron scattering #Optics #Phase (matter) #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Rare-earth and actinide compounds #Scattering #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.75.184442
published as Phys. Rev. B 75, 184442 (2007)
openalex publication_date 2007/05/31 · arxiv created 2008/02/20 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Small-angle neuron scattering (SANS) magnetic and electrical transport measurements were performed to study a single crystal of Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3, a colossal magnetoresistive material. While the magnetic-field-induced transformation of this phase separated compound consisting of an antiferromagnetic insulating (AFI) phase and a ferromagnetic insulating (FI) phase is continuous at high temperature (above 5\phantom\rule0.3em0exK), at lower temperature a steplike transformation is observed (around 5\phantom\rule0.3em0exT at 2\phantom\rule0.3em0exK). Macroscopic magnetization measurements and SANS indicate that this transformation occurs by the formation of mesoscopic ferromagnetic metallic (FM) domains in the AFI phase and, eventually, in the FI phase. Although above 5\phantom\rule0.3em0exK this transformation is continuous, below 5\phantom\rule0.3em0exK a magnetization step marks the abrupt transition from a large-scale FI/AFI phase separation, AFI containing 1% of small FM clusters, to a large-scale phase separation between AFI, FI, and FM phases. Our results suggest that relaxation of elastic strains inherent to the coexistence of these different phases plays a crucial role in the mechanism of these transformations. The occurrence of magnetization steps could result from an intrinsic behavior of the AFI phase at low temperature.