Strain-induced metal-insulator phase coexistence and stability in perovskite manganites

Abstract

We present a detailed study of a model for strain-induced metal-insulator phase coexistence in perovskite manganites. Both nanoscale and mesoscale inhomogeneities are self-consistently described using atomic scale modes and their associated constraint equations. We also examine the stability of domain configurations against uniform and nonuniform modifications of domain walls. Our results show that the long range interactions between strain fields and the complex energy landscape with multiple metastable states play essential roles in stabilizing metal-insulator phase coexistence, as observed in perovskite manganites. We elaborate on the modes, constraint equations, energies, and energy gradients that form the basis of our simulation results.