Lattice-form dependent orbital shape and charge disproportionation in charge- and orbital-ordered manganites

The orbital shapes and charge disproportionations at nominal Mn$^{3+}$ and Mn$^{4+}$ sites for the charge- and orbital-ordered phases have been studied on half-doped manganites Pr(Sr$_{0.1}$Ca$_{0.9}$)$_2$Mn$_2$O$_7$ and Eu$_{0.5}$Ca$_{1.5}$MnO$_4$ with double-layer and single-layer Mn-O networks, respectively, by means of x-ray structural analyses, in comparison with Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ with the pseudo cubic network. In a single-layer Eu$_{0.5}$Ca$_{1.5}$MnO$_4$ system, the ($y^2-z^2$)/($z^2-x^2$)-type orbital shape is observed, while the ($3y^2-r^2$)/($3x^2-r^2$)-type orbital shape in a pseudo cubic Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ system. In a double-layer Pr(Sr$_{0.1}$Ca$_{0.9}$)$_2$Mn$_2$O$_7$ system, the orbital shape is found to undergo a large change upon thermally induced rotation of orbital stripe. Furthermore, clear charge disproportionation is observed for the pseudo cubic and double-layer systems, while not in the single-layer system. These results indicate that the orbital shape and charge disproportionation are sensitive to the dimension of Mn-O network.Comment: 12 page, 5 figures, 11 table

Endplate potential oscillation of jaw closing muscles in natural chewing.

Surface electromyograms (EMGs) in natural gum chewing were recorded in a monopolar manner from paired anterior temporalis and masseter muscles of four subjects. Electrodes were placed on the temple of the former muscle, and on the inferior portion of the latter muscle. The endplate potential (EPP) component was extracted from raw EMGs of the muscles using a digital filter: the frequency of the high-cut digital filter for eliminating action potentials was set to 12.5 Hz or 45 Hz. The EPP component of the EMG burst of each stroke in the natural chewing showed two phases, early negative slow wave and following oscillation, which was same as observed in the clenching task. From FFT analysis, the frequencies of the ipsilateral EPP oscillations were around 30 Hz for both the temporalis and masseter muscles, which was also the same for the clenching task. It is concluded that the contraction of the jaw closing muscles is regulated in an oscillating manner of the EPP even in natural chewing behaviors. This oscillation phenomenon of the EPP gives a useful hint about the mechanism of muscular movements including chewing

Epitaxial-strain effect on charge/orbital order in Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 films

Effect of growth orientation on charge- and orbital-ordering (CO-OO) phenomena has been studied for Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 epitaxial thin films fabricated on (LaAlO3)0.3-(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 (LSAT) substrates by means of resistivity, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and polarized optical microscopy measurements. CO-OO transition is observed around 220 K for a film grown on an LSAT (011) substrate ((011)-film), similarly to a bulk sample, while a film grown on a (001) plane of LSAT ((001)-film) shows much higher transition temperature around 300 K. The domain size of OO is approximately 3 times as large in the (011)-film as in the (001)-film. These results demonstrate that various properties of CO-OO phenomena can be controlled with the growth orientation via the epitaxial strain from the substrate.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Bandwidth-disorder phase diagram of half doped layered manganites

Phase diagrams in the plane of $r_A$ (the average ionic radius, related to one-electron bandwidth $W$) and $\sigma^2$ (the ionic radius variance, measuring the quenched disorder), or ``bandwidth-disorder phase diagrams'', have been established for perovskite manganites, with three-dimensional (3$D$) Mn-O network. Here we establish the intrinsic bandwidth-disorder phase diagram of half-doped layered manganites with the two-dimensional (2$D$) Mn-O network, examining in detail the ``mother state'' of the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) phenomenon in crystals without ferromagnetic instability. The consequences of the reduced dimensionality, from 3$D$ to 2$D$, on the order-disorder phenomena in the charge-orbital sectors are also highlighted.Comment: REVTeX 4 style; 5 pages, 4 figure