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Volume contraction and resistivity drop at the Jahn-Teller transition in La{sub 1-x}Ca{sub x}MnO{sub 3}

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.73.0· OSTI ID:20787965
 [1];  [2];  [3]; ;  [4]
  1. Institut Laue-Langevin, BP 156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)
  2. School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308 (Australia)
  3. European Synchrotron Radiation Research Facility, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex (France)
  4. Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Calcutta 700 064 (India)
We have investigated the Jahn-Teller transition accompanied by orbital order-disorder transition in La{sub 1-x}Ca{sub x}MnO{sub 3} by high temperature x-ray powder diffraction with synchrotron radiation and resistivity measurements. The unit cell volume of LaMnO{sub 3} decreases with increasing temperature in a narrow temperature range below T{sub JT}{approx_equal}750 K and then undergoes a volume collapse at T{sub JT}. The transition is first order. Similar behavior is also obtained in Ca-doped La{sub 1-x}Ca{sub x}MnO{sub 3} for x=0.025 and 0.075. The amount of volume collapse, however, decreases with the doping and also the first order discontinuous transition crosses over to a quasi-continuous transition with doping. We interpret the volume contraction at the transition is due to a more efficient packing of the MnO{sub 6} octahedra in the orbitally liquid state and the crossover from the discontinuous to the quasi-continuous transition is due to the change in the anharmonic coupling parameter with the hole doping. The resistivity of LaMnO{sub 3} decreases as a function of temperature and then shows abrupt drop at T{sub JT} becoming almost temperature independent at higher temperature. The resistivity of La{sub 1-x}Ca{sub x}MnO{sub 3} also decreases at T{sub JT} but the abrupt drop becomes smeared out at higher doping. The similar behavior of the unit cell volume and the resistivity at the Jahn-Teller transition suggests that the volume contraction at T{sub JT} causes delocalization of e{sub g} electrons.
OSTI ID:
20787965
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 73; ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English