Orbital Domain Dynamics in a Doped Manganite

TL;DR

This paper investigates the large-scale dynamics of orbitally ordered domains in a doped manganite, revealing that these domains are mostly static with slow boundary fluctuations, influenced by strain and disorder.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the large-scale, slow dynamics of orbital domains in manganites, emphasizing the role of strain and disorder beyond microscopic interactions.

Findings

Domains are largely static near the phase transition.

Slow fluctuations occur primarily at domain boundaries.

Strain and disorder influence domain dynamics.

Abstract

The coupling of multiple degrees of freedom - charge, spin, and lattice - in manganites has mostly been considered at the microscopic level. However, on larger length scales, these correlations may be affected by strain and disorder, which can lead to short range order in these phases and affect the coupling between them. To better understand these effects, we explore the dynamics of orbitally ordered domains in a half-doped manganite near the orbital ordering phase transition. Our results suggest that the domains are largely static, and exhibit only slow fluctuations near domain boundaries.