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Magnetization distribution in the mixed-phase state of hole-doped manganites

Nature volume 423, pages 965–968 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

The effect of ‘colossal magnetoresistance’ (CMR) in hole-doped manganites—an abnormal decrease of resistivity when a magnetic field is applied1—has attracted significant interest from researchers in the past decade. But the underlying mechanism for the CMR phenomenon is not yet fully understood. It has become clear that a phase-separated state2,3,4,5,6, where magnetic and non-magnetic phases coexist, is important, but the detailed magnetic microstructure of this mixed-phase state is so far unclear. Here we use electron microscopy to study the magnetic microstructure and development of ferromagnetic domains in the mixed-phase state of La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.54, 0.56). Our measurements show that, in the absence of a magnetic field, the magnetic flux is closed within ferromagnetic regions, indicating a negligible magnetic interaction between separated ferromagnetic domains. However, we also find that the domains start to combine with only very small changes in temperature. We propose that the delicate nature of the magnetic microstructure in the mixed-phase state of hole-doped manganites is responsible for the CMR effect, in which significant conduction paths form between the ferromagnetic domains upon application of a magnetic field.

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Figure 1: Temperature dependence of magnetization in La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.54, 0.56).
Figure 2: Temperature dependence of the magnetic microstructure in the mixed-phase (ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic) state in La0.44Sr0.56MnO3.
Figure 3: Temperature dependence of the magnetic microstructure in the mixed-phase (ferromagnetic and paramagnetic) state in La0.46Sr0.54MnO3.
Figure 4: Effect of beam heating on the magnetic microstructure in the mixed-phase state and the single-phase state in La0.44Sr0.56MnO3.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Ohsuna and Y. Gao for discussions. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan, and by the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology of ‘Nanohetero Metallic Materials’ from the Science and Technology Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan

    Y. Murakami, J. H. Yoo & D. Shindo

  2. Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 980-8577, Sendai, Japan

    T. Atou

  3. Kansei Fukushi Research Center, Tohoku Fukushi University, 981-8522, Sendai, Japan

    M. Kikuchi

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  1. Y. Murakami
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Correspondence to Y. Murakami.

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Murakami, Y., Yoo, J., Shindo, D. et al. Magnetization distribution in the mixed-phase state of hole-doped manganites. Nature 423, 965–968 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01715

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