Structural and magnetic phase transitions occurring in Pr_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ manganite at high pressures

Abstract

The crystal and magnetic structures and the vibrational spectra of Pr_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ manganite are studied within the pressure range up to 25 GPa by methods of X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Neutron diffraction studies have been performed at pressures up to 4.5 GPa. The magnetic phase transition from the ferromagnetic phase (T _C = 273 K) to the A-type antiferromagnetic phase (T _N = 153 K) is found at P ≈ 2 GPa. This transition is characterized by a broad pressure range corresponding to the phase separation. The Raman spectra of Pr_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ measured under high pressures significantly differ from the corresponding spectra of the isostructural doped A_{1 − x} A′ _x MnO₃ manganites, (where A is a rare-earth ion and A′ is an alkaline-earth ion) with the smaller average ionic radius 〈r _A〉 of A and A′ cations. Namely, the former spectra do not include clearly pronounced stretching phonon modes. At P ∼ 7 GPa, there appears the structural phase transition from the orthorhombic phase with the Pnma space group to the orthorhombic high-pressure phase with the Imma symmetry. In the vicinity of the phase transition, anomalies in the pressure dependences of the lattice parameters, unit cell volume, and phonon frequencies corresponding to the characteristic lattice vibration modes are observed.