Visible magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy of the Pr0.8Sr0.2MnO3 and Pr0.6Sr0.4MnO3 thin films

Abstract

Visible magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) in Pr1-xSrxMnO3 with x = 0.2 and 0.4 was investigated for the first time. Samples for the investigation – polycrystalline films with thickness from 20 to 150 nm were prepared with the dc magnetron sputtering. MCD spectra obtained in the energy interval 1–4 eV at temperatures 100–300 K consist of several maxima with different intensities: very strong one near 3.25–3.4 eV and a broad essentially weaker band near 2 eV. An additional maximum of opposite sign arises in the samples with x = 0.4MCD spectrum at 2.33 eV. Experimental spectra were decomposed to several Gaussian components, and their amplitudes temperature dependences were analyzed. In the case of x = 0.2, all four Gaussian components are characterized by the identical temperature dependence of their amplitudes. In the case of x = 0.4, maxima observed in different spectral intervals demonstrate different temperature dependences of their amplitudes. One more unexpected phenomenon is associated with the different MCD value change in different spectral intervals when coming from x = 0.2 to x = 0.4: high-energy maximum increases more than twice while low-energy maxima intensity stays at that, practically, unchanged.