Critical fluctuations and quenched disordered two-dimensional charge stripes in La(5/3)Sr(1/3)NiO4
Using high-resolution x-ray scattering, we have demonstrated the existence of quenched disordered charge stripes in a single crystal of La (5/3)Sr (1/3)NiO (4) at low temperatures. Above the second-order transition critical scattering was observed due to fluctuations into the charge stripe phase. The charge stripes are shown to be two dimensional in nature both by measurements of their correlation lengths (xi(a) approximately 185 A, xi(b) = 400 A, and xi(c) approximately 25 A) and by the critical exponents of the charge strip transition. The charge stripe ordering did not develop long-range order even at low temperatures, indicating that the charge stripes are disordered and that the length scale of the disorder is quenched.
Du
CH
Department of Physics, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom.
Ghazi
ME
Su
Y
Pape
I
Hatton
PD
Brown
SD
Stirling
WG
Cooper
MJ
Cheong
SW