X-ray-induced structural transition in La0.875Sr0.125MnO3

We report a synchrotron x-ray-scattering study of the magnetoresistive manganite La0.875Sr0.125MnO3. At low temperatures, this material undergoes an x-ray-induced structural transition at which charge ordering of Mn3+ and Mn4+ ions characteristic to the low-temperature stare of this compound is destroyed. The transition is persistent but the charge-ordered state can be restored by heating above the charge-ordering transition temperature and subsequently cooling. The charge-ordering diffraction peaks, which are broadened at all temperatures, broaden more upon x-ray irradiation, indicating the finite correlation length of the charge-ordered state. Together with the recent reports on x-ray-induced transitions in Pr1-xCaxMnO3, our results demonstrate that the photoinduced structural change is a common property of the charge-ordered perovskite manganites. [S0163-1829(99)51110-7].