V. Eremenko et al., X-ray study of Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganite structure above and below the ferromagnetic metal-antiferromagnetic insulator spontaneous phase transition, LOW TEMP PH, 27(11), 2001, pp. 930-934
The crystal structure of the manganite Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 is studied at tempera
ture T=300 and 77.3 K by means of an x-ray diffractometer. It is shown that
the transition from the ferromagnetic metallic state to the antiferromagne
tic insulating charge-ordered state is accompanied by a lowering of the sym
metry of the structure from orthorhombic to monoclinic. The space-group sym
metry of the orthorhombic and monoclinic phases is identified as Imma and P
2(1)/m, respectively. Twinning of the crystal and the formation of a twin d
omain structure with coherent boundaries in the (00l) crystallographic plan
es are found. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.