Photoinduced infrared absorption in (La1-xSrxMn)(1-delta)O-3: Changes of the small polaron binding energy with doping

Photoinduced IR absorption was measured in (La1-xSrxMn)(1-delta)O-3. A midi nfrared peak centered at similar to 5000 cm(-1) was observed in the x=0 ant iferromagnetic sample. The peak diminishes and softens as hole doping is in creased. The origin of the photoinduced absorption peak is attributed to th e photon-assisted hopping of anti-Jahn-Teller palarons formed by photoexcit ed charge carriers, whose binding energy decreases with increasing hole dop ing. The shape of the peak indicates that the polarons are small.