Magnetic x-ray scattering, transport and MFM study of strongly correlated La$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$MnO$_{3}$ nanowires

ORAL

Abstract

Artificial patterning is a promising new approach to studying strongly correlated materials, since a boundary acts as a perturbation that can tip the balance among various competing ground states. We have fabricated large, periodic arrays of 80 nm wide nanowires from epitaxially grown La$_{0.67}$Sr$_{0.33}$MnO$_3$ (LSMO) thin films. Their electronic and magnetic properties were studied with resonant soft x-ray scattering (RSXS), transport measurements and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). RSXS measurements revealed a series of structural diffraction peaks that arise from the periodic wire structure. Below the Curie temperature we also observed a series of magnetic superlattice reflections, indicating collective ordering of the magnetic moments into a pattern with a spatial period of five wires. Transport measurements also showed anomalous ``telegraph'' switching noise at temperatures below 15K, and MFM revealed unusual domain formation. We interpret these results as arising from unusual, boundary-induced magnetic domains interacting via long-ranged, classical magnetic dipole coupling.

*This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under grants DE-FG02-07ER46453 and DE-FG02-06ER46285.

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Authors

  • Xiaoqian Chen

    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Physics, Materials Research Laboratory

  • Tyler R. Naibert

    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Nick Bronn

    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • James C.T. Lee

    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Shu Wang

    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • James N. Eckstein

    • University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
    • University of Illinis Urbana-Champaign
    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Nadya Mason

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Physics, Materials Research Laboratory
    • Unversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Raffi Budakian

    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Peter Abbamonte

    • University of Illinois
    • Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Xiaofang Zhai

    • None

  • Anand Bhattacharya

    • Materials Science Division and Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory
    • MSD/CNM, Argonne Natl Lab
    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Materials