Thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements in high pulsed magnetic
fields up to 13 T. have been performed on polycrystalline samples of the m
ixed valence manganese oxides Sm1 - xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.45 and 0.33), from room
temperature to 4.2K. In the case of Sm0.55Sr0.45MnO3, the large volume mag
netostriction suggests that "magnetic polarons" formation is the origin of
the colossal magnetoresistance observed in this compound. (C) 2001 Elsevier
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