Coexistence of long-ranged charge and orbital order and spin-glass state in single-layered manganites with weak quenched disorder

TL;DR

This study investigates how weak quenched disorder in single-layered manganites affects the coexistence of charge, orbital, and spin states, revealing a spin-glass phase without phase separation in an intermediate doping range.

Contribution

It demonstrates that in weakly disordered manganites, long-range charge-orbital order can coexist with a spin-glass state, challenging previous notions of phase separation.

Findings

Charge-orbital order persists beyond half doping but is destabilized under under-doping.

A spin-glass phase emerges without macroscopic phase separation.

Asymmetrical doping response influences magnetic and charge states.

Abstract

The relationship between orbital and spin degrees of freedom in the single-crystals of the hole-doped Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_{1+x}$MnO$_4$, 0.3 $\leq$ $x$ $\leq$ 0.7, has been investigated by means of ac-magnetometry and charge transport. Even though there is no cation ordering on the $A$-site, the quenched disorder is extremely weak in this system due to the very similar ionic size of Pr$^{3+}$ and Ca$^{2+}$. A clear asymmetric response of the system to the under- (respective over-) hole doping was observed. The long-ranged charge-orbital order established for half doping ($x$=0.5) subsists in the over-doping case ($x$ $>$ 0.5), albeit rearranged to accommodate the extra holes introduced in the structure. The charge-orbital order is however destabilized by the presence of extra localized electrons (under-doping, $x$ $<$ 0.5), leading to its disappearance below $x$=0.35. We show that in an intermediate under-doped region, with 0.35 $\leq$ $x$ $<$ 0.5, the ``orbital-master spin-slave'' relationship commonly observed in half-doped manganites does not take place. The long-ranged charge-orbital order is not accompanied by an antiferromagnetic transition at low temperatures, but by a frustrated short-ranged magnetic state bringing forth a spin-glass phase. We discuss in detail the nature and origin of this spin-glass state, which, as in the half-doped manganites with large quenched disorder, is not related to the macroscopic phase separation observed in crystals with minor defects or impurities.