A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Irreversible metamagnetic transition and magnetic memory in small-bandwidth manganite Pr1-xCaxMnO3 (x=0.0-0.5)
Authors: Elovaara T, Huhtinen H, Majumdar S, Paturi P
Publisher: IOP PUBLISHING LTD
Publication year: 2012
Journal: Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Journal name in source: JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER
Journal acronym: J PHYS-CONDENS MAT
Article number: 2162
Number in series: 21
Volume: 24
Issue: 21
Number of pages: 10
ISSN: 0953-8984
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/24/21/216002
The present paper reports detailed structural and magnetic characterization of the low-bandwidth manganite Pr1-xCaxMnO3 (with x = 0.0-0.5) (PCMO) polycrystalline samples. With increasing Ca content, reduction of the unit cell volume and improvement in perovskite structure symmetry was observed at room temperature. Magnetic characterization shows the signature of coexisting AFM-FM ordering and spin-glass phase at the low doping range (x = 0.0-0.2) while increased hole doping (x = 0.3-0.5) leads to charge ordering, training effect and an irreversible metamagnetic phenomenon. The large irreversible metamagnetism in the CO phase of PCMO and the corresponding spin memory effect is a direct consequence of hysteretic first-order phase transition arising from the weakening of the CO state under the external magnetic field and trapping of the spins due to a strong pinning potential in the material.