Polaron formation in the optimally doped ferromagnetic manganites La0.7Sr0.3MnO3and La0.7Ba0.3MnO3

The nature of the polarons in the optimally doped colossal magnetoresistive materials La0.7 Ba0.3 MnO3 (LBMO) and La0.7 Sr0.3 MnO3 (LSMO) is studied by elastic and inelastic neutron scattering. In both materials, dynamic nanoscale polaron correlations develop abruptly in the ferromagnetic state. However, the polarons are not able to lock-in to the lattice and order, in contrast to the behavior of La0.7 Ca0.3 MnO3. Therefore ferromagnetic order in LBMO and LSMO survives their formation, explaining the conventional second-order nature of the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate that the fundamental mechanism of polaron formation is a universal feature of these ferromagnetic perovskite manganites. © 2008 The American Physical Society.