Giant anisotropic magnetostriction in Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3

Magnetic, linear thermal expansion (LTE), anisotropic (λt) and volume (ω) magnetostriction properties of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 were investigated. The LTE decreases smoothly from 300 K without a clear anomaly either around the Curie (TC = 270 K) or the Neel temperature (TN = 100 K) and it exhibits hysteresis over a wide temperature range (60 K-270 K) upon warming. Isothermal magnetization study suggests that 13 % of the ferromagnetic phase coexists with 87 % of the antiferromagnetic phase at 25 K. The parallel and perpendicular magnetostrictions undergo rapid changes during the metamagnetic transition. Contrary to the isotropic giant volume magnetostriction reported in manganites so far, this compound exhibits a giant anisotropic magnetostriction (λt ≈ 10−3) and smaller volume (ω ≈ 10−4) magnetostrictions below TN . We suggest that the field induced antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition is accompanied by a structural transition from