Low-temperature specific heat in Pr0.63Ca0.37MnO3:: Phase separation and metamagnetic transition -: art. no. 224403

The application of a sufficiently large magnetic field in Pr0.63Ca0.37MnO3 can enforce a ferromagnetic state, resulting in an "insulator-metal" transition owing to both actuation of double-exchange mechanism and charge-order melting. In the present study, the low-temperature magnetoelectronic state of this compound has been investigated by specific-heat measurements. It was shown that the metamagnetic transition has clear signatures in specific-heat data. Combination of specific heat, magnetization, and resistivity measurements allowed us to propose a comprehensive picture of the hysteretic features around this transition in the frame of a field-dependent phase-separation scenario. A more quantitative analysis also gave strong support to the percolative nature of the magnetoresistive transition in this compound.