Itinerant metamagnetism in manganites caused by the field-induced electronic nematic order

TL;DR

This paper investigates field-induced metamagnetism in a manganite system, revealing two consecutive transitions driven by an electronic nematic order phase, challenging previous phase separation explanations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that electronic nematic order causes the observed metamagnetic transitions, providing a new understanding of magnetic phase behavior in manganites.

Findings

Two distinct metamagnetic transitions observed at different temperatures.

The transitions are driven by electronic nematic order, not phase separation.

Transition types change from second-order to first-order at low temperatures.

Abstract

Itinerant metamagnetism transition is observed and studied in perovskite La1-xCaxMn0.90Cu0.10O3 system for x = 0.30. At a constant low temperature, 10 K < T < 150 K, there is a continuous second-order metamagnetism jump from a low magnetic state to a high one with the magnetic field H increasing. However, at an exceeding low temperature, T = 2.5 K, the metamagnetism jump at H = 3.5 T becomes to be a robust first-order transition, and another metamagnetism transition occurs at a higher field H = 7.0 T. Since there is no charge ordering sign in the present system, it can not be understood by using the phase separation model or the prior martensite/austenitic phase transition scenario. A theoretical electronic nematic order phase formation is evidenced to answer for the two consecutive metamagnetic transitions, which separate the nematic phase from the low-field (H < 3.5 T) and high-field (H > 7.0 T) isotropic phases.