Structural and magnetic phase transitions in Pr<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> at high pressure

The crystal and magnetic structures of Pr<Subscript>0.15</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3< /Subscript> manganite have been studied by means of powder X-ray and neutron diffraction in the temperature range 10–400 K at high external pressures up to 55 and 4 GPa, respectively. A structural phase transition from cubic to tetragonal phase upon compression was observed, with large positive pressure coefficient of transition temperature dT <Subscript> ct </Subscript>/dP=28(2) K/GPa. The C-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) ground state is formed below T <Subscript> N </Subscript> ≈ 260 K at ambient pressure. While at ambient pressure the structural and magnetic transition temperatures are close, T <Subscript> ct </Subscript> ~ T <Subscript> N </Subscript>, upon compression they become decoupled with T <Subscript> N </Subscript> ≪ T <Subscript> ct </Subscript> due to much weaker T <Subscript> N </Subscript> pressure dependence with coefficient dT <Subscript> N </Subscript>/dP=3.8(1) K/GPa. Copyright EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010