(Pr,Ca)MnO3 is the archetypal charge-ordered manganite, but in
Pr0.48Ca0.52MnO3 we find (using convergent-beam electron diffraction and
dark-field images) that the superlattice period is locally incommensurate with
respect to the parent lattice, and that the superlattice orientation possesses
significant local variations. This suggests that local electron-lattice
coupling never overwhelmingly dominates the rich physics of manganites, even in
the most extreme scenarios that produce the largest colossal magnetoresistance
effects.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; accepted in Physical Review