Suppression of the ferromagnetic-insulating phase in self-doped La_0.94Mn_0.98O₃ crystals under pressure

The effect of hydrostatic pressure P on the magnetic and transport properties of self-doped La_0.94Mn_0.98O₃ crystals has been investigated at pressures up to 1 GPa and in the temperature range 15<T<300 K. It was found that the applied pressure enhances the double-exchange coupling, increases the magnetization, and lowers the ferromagnetic-insulator transition temperature. The results obtained here for the self-doped crystals are compared with those observed for lightly doped La_1-xSr_xMnO₃. It is shown that similar mechanisms of ferromagnetic clustering and percolative polarons may account also for the magnetic and transport properties of the self-doped manganites.