Mesoscopic Phase Separation in the Model with Competing Jahn-Teller and Coulomb Interaction

Abstract

We have derived the interaction between Jahn-Teller centers due to optical and acoustic phonons. Without Coulomb repulsion the model leads to a global phase separation at low temperature. At long distances Coulomb repulsion always dominates the short range attraction leading to phase separation on a short scale. On the basis of Monte-Carlo simulation of microscopic lattice-gas model we have formulated an effective phenomenological model. In the limit of low density of polarons, phase separation takes place in the form of charged bubbles. In the limit of high density, charge segregation occurs on domain walls.