Magnetic phase diagram of low-doped La{2-x}SrxCuO4 thin films studied by low-energy muon-spin rotation

TL;DR

This study maps the magnetic phase diagram of low-doped La{2-x}SrxCuO4 thin films using low-energy muon-spin rotation, revealing similarities to bulk materials but with notable differences in transition temperatures and magnetic behaviors.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed magnetic phase diagram of La{2-x}SrxCuO4 thin films, highlighting differences from bulk samples and discussing underlying causes.

Findings

Reduced Neel temperature in thin films

Absence of low-temperature hole spin freezing

Enhanced transition temperature to spin-glass state

Abstract

The magnetic phase diagram of La2-xSrxCuO4 thin-films grown on single-crystal LaSrAlO4 substrates has been determined by low-energy muon-spin rotation. The diagram shows the same features as the one of bulk La2-xSrxCuO4, but the transition temperatures between distinct magnetic states are significantly different. In the antiferromagnetic phase the Neel temperature TN is strongly reduced, and no hole spin freezing is observed at low temperatures. In the disordered magnetic phase (x>0.02) the transition temperature to the cluster spin-glass state Tg is enhanced. Possible reasons for the pronounced differences between the magnetic phase diagrams of thin-film and bulk samples are discussed.