title: Manipulating electronic phase separation in strongly correlated oxides with an ordered array of antidots.
abstract: The interesting transport and magnetic properties in manganites depend sensitively on the nucleation and growth of electronic phase-separated domains. By fabricating antidot arrays in La0.325Pr0.3Ca0.375MnO3 (LPCMO) epitaxial thin films, we create ordered arrays of micrometer-sized ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) rings in the LPCMO films that lead to dramatically increased metal-insulator transition temperatures and reduced resistances. The FMM rings emerge from the edges of the antidots where the lattice symmetry is broken. Based on our Monte Carlo simulation, these FMM rings assist the nucleation and growth of FMM phase domains increasing the metal-insulator transition with decreasing temperature or increasing magnetic field. This study points to a way in which electronic phase separation in manganites can be artificially controlled without changing chemical composition or applying external field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Quantum Theory Project, Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611;
authors.forename: X-G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Fanli
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Hanxuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Wengang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Yinyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Yunfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kou
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Jiebin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
authors.forename: Ruqian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China; lifengyin@fudan.edu.cn wplummer@phys.lsu.edu shenj5494@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 lifengyin@fudan.edu.cn wplummer@phys.lsu.edu shenj5494@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Plummer
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China; lifengyin@fudan.edu.cn wplummer@phys.lsu.edu shenj5494@fudan.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
keywords: antidot; electronic phase separation; magnetization; manganites; metal–insulator transition