Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of Pr0.5Sr0.3Ca0.2MnO3 are measured a
t different temperatures and different fields. Our data of I-V curves show
a crossover from linear to nonlinear behavior at the temperature lower than
the charge ordering temperature. New findings in this work include (i) abr
upt jumps/drops of voltage in each I-V curve below 100 K and (ii) an enhanc
ement of magnetoresistance (MR) ratio from 15% to 20% which is associated w
ith the unusual voltage jumps/drops in I-V curves. The enhancement of MR ra
tio evidences the existence of an intermediate state between the charge ord
ering state and the charge ordering breakdown state. Most importantly, the
existence of such intermediate state provides a new route to achieve a low
field colossal magnetoresistance for future applications of spintronics. (C
) 2001 American Institute of Physics.