In this work we studied, by means of high-resolution neutron diffraction as a
function of temperature, the La1.4Sr0.8Ca0.8Mn2O7 bilayered manganite for two
different annealing treatments. Out data allowed us to shown, for the first
time, the absence of long-range magnetic order in this optimally doped
bilayered manganite where the A-site of the structure is doped with equal
proportions of different isovalent cations (Ca and Sr). The system, however,
presents defined IM transitions which suggest that the transport properties are
not linked to the evolution of long-range order and that two dimensional spin
ordering in the layers of the perovskite blocks may be sufficient to 'assist'
the hole hopping. Possible reason for the suppression of magnetic order induced
by the Ca doping is a size effect coupled to the cation size mismatch between
the Sr and Ca ions.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figure
