Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in Lightly Doped La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}: Impact of Anti-Phase Domain Boundaries on the Electron Transport

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic fields influence the magnetoresistance in lightly doped La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4}, revealing that anti-phase domain boundaries affect charge transport and can be transformed into more conductive in-phase stripes.

Contribution

It demonstrates that magnetic fields can convert anti-phase stripes into in-phase stripes, altering charge conduction in lightly doped cuprates, challenging previous assumptions about stripe phases.

Findings

Anti-phase AF domain boundaries confine charges in CuO_2 planes.

High magnetic fields convert anti-phase stripes into in-phase stripes.

In-phase stripes exhibit better conduction than anti-phase stripes.

Abstract

Detailed behavior of the magnetoresistance (MR) is studied in lightly doped antiferromagnetic La_{1.99}Sr_{0.01}CuO_{4}, where, thanks to the weak ferromagnetic moment due to spin canting, the antiferromagnetic (AF) domain structure can be manipulated by the magnetic field. The MR behavior demonstrates that CuO_2 planes indeed contain anti-phase AF domain boundaries in which charges are confined, forming anti-phase stripes. The data suggest that a high magnetic field turns the anti-phase stripes into in-phase stripes, and the latter appear to give better conduction than the former, which challenges the notion that the anti-phase character of stripes facilitates charge motion.