Department of Applied Physics and Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
School of Physics, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand.
Phys Rev Lett. 2015 Dec 31;115(26):265701. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.265701. Epub 2015 Dec 23.
Complex many-body interaction in perovskite manganites gives rise to a strong competition between ferromagnetic metallic and charge-ordered phases with nanoscale electronic inhomogeneity and glassy behaviors. Investigating this glassy state requires high-resolution imaging techniques with sufficient sensitivity and stability. Here, we present the results of a near-field microwave microscope imaging on the strain-driven glassy state in a manganite film. The high contrast between the two electrically distinct phases allows direct visualization of the phase separation. The low-temperature microscopic configurations differ upon cooling with different thermal histories. At sufficiently high temperatures, we observe switching between the two phases in either direction. The dynamic switching, however, stops below the glass transition temperature. Compared with the magnetization data, the phase separation was microscopically frozen, while spin relaxation was found in a short period of time.
钙钛矿锰氧化物中的复杂多体相互作用导致了铁磁金属相与电荷有序相之间的强烈竞争，同时具有纳米尺度的电子非均匀性和玻璃态行为。研究这种玻璃态需要具有足够灵敏度和稳定性的高分辨率成像技术。在这里，我们展示了在锰酸盐薄膜中应变驱动的玻璃态的近场微波显微镜成像结果。这两种电相之间的高对比度允许直接可视化相分离。在不同的热历史下，低温微观结构在冷却时会有所不同。在足够高的温度下，我们观察到两个相在任意方向上的切换。然而，动态切换在玻璃化转变温度以下停止。与磁化数据相比，相分离在微观上被冻结，而自旋弛豫在短时间内被发现。
