F. Borsa et al., STAGGERED MAGNETIZATION IN LA(2-X)SR(X)CUO4 FROM LA-139 NQR AND MU-SR- EFFECTS OF SR DOPING IN THE RANGE 0-LESS-THAN-X-LESS-THAN-0.02, Physical review. B, Condensed matter, 52(10), 1995, pp. 7334-7345
We have used La-139 nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and positive mu
on spin rotation (mu SR) measurements to probe the weakly doped antife
rromagnetic (AF) region (x<0.02) of the La2-xSrxCuO4 system below the
three-dimensional (3D) AF ordering (Neel) temperature T-N(x) From thes
e measurements, our previous La-139 NQR measurements [F. C. Chou et al
.,Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 2323, (1993)], and auxiliary La-139 nuclear mag
netic resonance (NMR) measurements of single-crystal La2CuO4, we have
determined the CU2+ Staggered magnetization M(x,T) below T-N(x) Above
similar to 30 K, M(x,T) at each T is found to be progressively depress
ed with increasing x (decreasing T-N); the M(x,0) at T=0, extrapolated
from T>30 K, is found from both the NQR and mu SR measurements to fol
low the same empirical relation M(x,0)/M(0,0)=(1-x/x(c))(n) with x(c)=
0.023 and n=0.236. To model the extrapolated values, we assume that th
e doped holes are mobile and are situated in 1D ''rivers'' of charge w
hich form walls in the CuO2 planes and which separate and uncouple und
oped AF domains; an infinite number of these layers are stacked along
the c axis. Using linear spin-wave theory and the interplanar and intr
aplanar CU2+ AF exchange interactions found from neutron-scattering me
asurements on La2CuO4, we calculated M(x,0) for this hoped hole and CU
2+ spin configuration and find good agreement with the above extrapola
ted T=0 values. Thus, in the AF region x<0.02 of the phase diagram of
La2-xSrxCuO4, these results support the previous hypothesis that micro
segregation of the (mobile) doped holes into domain walls occurs above
similar to 30 K, consistent with the phase separation phenomenology o
f Emery and Kivelson. Below similar to 30 K, an anomalous increase in
M(x,T) is observed in La2-xSrxCuO4, particularly for the larger x valu
es approaching x=0.02, such that M(x,T) is nearly independent of x as
T --> 0 and is therefore about the same as the T --> 0 value observed
for undoped La2CuO4. We interpret this effect as arising from localiza
tion of the doped holes below similar to 30 K, whereby localized doped
holes are much less effective in reducing Mi than mobile holes. In su
pport of this hypothesis, we find that the width of the La-139 NQR 2 n
u(Q) line in La2-xSrxCuO4 is nearly independent of temperature below 4
.2 K and increases linearly with x for x<0.02. We present new mu SR me
asurements to support the idea that the effective spin degrees of free
dom associated with the localized doped holes undergo a continuous fre
ezing at T-j approximate to(815 K)x, as opposed to a cooperative phase
transition, superimposed on the preexisting AF long-range order.