Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of a Novel Layered Manganese Oxide Sr2MnGaO5+DELTA

Phonon energies in cobaltite/manganites A(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3, where A is a lanthanide, have been determined by far-infrared spectroscopy. The phonon energies systematically shift and split and new modes appear as the mass of the lanthanide is increased through the series A=La, Nd, Dy, Ho, Yb. The behavior of the phonon modes correlates with the magnetic properties of this series of compounds, in particular with the appearance of metamagnetism for the compounds with smaller ions on the A site.