The current spin on manganites

TL;DR

This paper explores the complex phase coexistence in manganites, highlighting their intricate magnetic and electronic interactions and how external perturbations influence their exotic, self-organized phases.

Contribution

It provides new experimental insights into the self-organized phase coexistence and the underlying mysteries of magnetic and electronic phases in manganites.

Findings

Coexistence of multiple magnetic and electronic phases in manganites.

External perturbations can alter phase balance and properties.

Complex interactions lead to exotic magnetic and electronic states.

Abstract

In a material, the existence and coexistence of phases with very different magnetic and electronic properties is both unusual and surprising. Manganites in particular capture the imagination because they demonstrate a complexity that belies their chemically single-phase nature. This complexity arises because the magnetic, electronic and crystal structures interact with one another to deliver exotic magnetic and electronic phases that coexist. This coexistence is self-organized and yet readily susceptible to external perturbations, permitting subtle and imaginative experiments of the type that we describe here. Moreover, these experiments reveal that each competing phase itself remains an incompletely solved mystery.