Ferromagnetic domain structure of La0.78Ca0.22MnO3 single crystals

The magneto-optical technique has been employed to observe spontaneous ferromagnetic domain structures in La0.78Ca0.22MnO3 single crystals. The magnetic domain topology was found to be correlated with the intrinsic twin structure of the investigated crystals. With decreasing temperature the regular network of ferromagnetic domains undergoes significant changes resulting in apparent rotation of the domain walls in the temperature range of 70–150 K. The apparent rotation of the domain walls can be understood in terms of the Jahn-Teller deformation of the orthorhombic unit cell, accompanied by additional twinning.