DC transport properties and microwave absorption in bulk ceramic sample and film of La_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}CoO_{3-δ}: magnetic inhomogeneity effects

Abstract

The DC transport properties and microwave absorption (at 41 GHz) are measured in a bulk ceramic sample and a film (220 nm thick) of La$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$CoO$_{3-δ}$. The samples are polycrystalline. The microwave conductivity, which is related mainly to the intragrain conductivity, increases by the order of the magnitude at the transition to the ferromagnetic state. The increase is far greater than that of found in the known DC measurements in doped cobaltates of the best crystal perfection. The found microwave effect is attributed to inherent magnetically inhomogeneous state of the doped cobaltates. Relaying on the results obtained it can be suggested that rather low magnetoresistance in the doped cobaltates as compared with that of the manganites is attributable to their more inhomogenenous magnetic state.