Recent developments in the theoretical study of phase separation in manganites andunderdoped cuprates

Abstract

This paper is a brief review of the status of ‘phase separation’ ideas in manganites andcuprates, mainly focused on the recent efforts by the authors. It is argued that in the lastyear considerable progress has been made in the understanding of manganites, since thefamous colossal magnetoresistance peak in the resistivity versus temperature has beennumerically observed in unbiased Monte Carlo simulations using realistic models(namely, including double exchange, phonons, and quenched disorder). It is alsoconjectured that a phenomenology similar to the one found in manganites could bepresent in the underdoped regime of the cuprates. It is predicted that a state withsuperconducting patches exists above the critical temperature in the underdopedregime, in agreement with recent scanning tunneling microscopy experiments.