Hydrostatic pressure effects on the electrical transport properties of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3

TL;DR

This study investigates how hydrostatic pressure influences the magnetic and electrical properties of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3, revealing pressure-induced shifts in magnetic transition temperatures and suppression of antiferromagnetic phases.

Contribution

It provides new insights into pressure effects on magnetic phases and electrical transport in Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3, including detailed transition temperature shifts up to 2 GPa.

Findings

Pressure lowers Curie temperature by -3.2 K/GPa.

Pressure raises Neel temperature by 14.2 K/GPa.

Antiferromagnetic phase is suppressed near 2.4 GPa.

Abstract

We studied single-crystalline Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 by means of measurements of magnetic susceptibility and specific heat at ambient pressure (P), and electrical resistivity (r) in hydrostatic pressures up to 2 GPa. This material displays ferromagnetic (FM) order, with Curie temperature TC ~ 255 K. A crystallographic transformation from I4/mcm to Fmmm is accompanied by the onset of antiferromagnetism (AFM), with Neel temperature TN ~ 161 K. The effect of pressure is to lower TC, and raise TN at the approximate rates of -3.2 K/GPa, and 14.2 K/GPa, respectively. Although the value of TN increases with P, due to the enhancement of the superexchange interactions, the AFM-Fmmm state is progressively suppressed, as pressure stabilizes the FM-I4/mcm phase to lower temperatures. The r vs T data suggest that the AFM phase should be completely suppressed near 2.4 GPa.