Magnetism, conductivity, and orbital order in (LaMnO3)2n Õ (SrMnO3)n superlattices

Abstract

The modulation of charge density and spin order in LaMnO32n / SrMnO3n n=1–4 superlattices is studied via Monte Carlo simulations of the double-exchange model. G-type antiferromagnetic barriers in the SrMnO3 regions with low charge density are found to separate ferromagnetic LaMnO3 layers with high charge density. A metal-insulator transition with increasing n is observed in the direction perpendicular to the interfaces. Our simulations provide insight into how disorder-induced localization may cause the metal-insulator transition occurring at n=3 in experiments.