Strain-induced local distortions and orbital ordering in Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 manganite films -: art. no. 224424

We have performed a detailed study of the long-range and local structure of Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3 films of varying thicknesses. The detailed nature of the in-plane and out-of-plane d spacings as a function of film thickness was determined. Comparisons between the local structure about Mn and the long-range structure were made. We found that Mn coordination asymmetry exists in thin films and that it is related to orbital ordering. The results yield a confirmation of models of manganite systems, which suggests that biaxial strain enhances electron localization.