Electronic self-organization in the single-layer manganite $rm Pr_{1-x}Ca_{1+x}MnO4$

Abstract

We use neutron scattering to investigate the doping evolution of the magnetic correlations in the single-layer manganite $rm Pr_{it 1-x}Ca_{it 1+x}MnO_4$, away from the $x=0.5$ composition where the CE-type commensurate antiferromagnetic (AF) structure is stable. We find that short-range incommensurate spin correlations develop as the system is electron doped ($x<0.5$), which coexist with the CE-type AF order. This suggests that electron doping in this system induces an inhomogeneous electronic self-organization, where commensurate AF patches with $x=0.5$ are separated by electron-rich domain walls with short range magnetic correlations. This behavior is strikingly different than for the three-dimensional $rm Pr_{it 1-x}Ca_{it x}MnO_3$, where the long-range CE-type commensurate AF structure is stable over a wide range of electron or hole doping around $x=0.5$.