Magnetic relaxation in La0.250Pr0.375Ca0.375MnO3 with varying phase separation

Abstract

We have studied the magnetic relaxation properties of the phase-separated manganite compound La0.250Pr0.375Ca0.375MnO3 . A series of polycrystalline samples was prepared with different sintering temperatures, resulting in a continuous variation of phase fraction between metallic (ferromagnetic) and charge-ordered phases at low temperatures. Measurements of the magnetic viscosity show a temperature and field dependence which can be correlated to the static properties. Common to all the samples, there appears to be two types of relaxation processes - at low fields associated with the reorientation of ferromagnetic domains and at higher fields associated with the transformation between ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic phases.