The effect of grain boundaries on the domain wall dynamics in Pr$_{1-x}$Ag$_x$MnO$_3$ manganites

We performed detailed ac susceptibility measurements on Pr$_{1-x}$Ag$_x$MnO$_3$ ($x$=0.15, 0.20) manganites and observed unusual and interesting features, which are associated with the domain walls and the effects of grain-boundaries on their movements. It is shown that the ac field, frequency, temperature, thermal cycling and grain coupling significantly influence the real and especially imaginary parts of the ac susceptibility. We argue that the cooperative depinning of the domain walls from the grain-boundaries accompanying with a large distance movements of the walls leads to the appearance of an anomaly at low temperatures. The anomaly is observed above a threshold ac field and depends on the intergrain coupling. The results show that in the powdered form of bulk samples, the anomaly disappears and the ac field dependence of the $\chi'$ and $\chi"$ suppresses. Below the anomaly temperature, significant and unusual thermal hysteresis occurs in the real and especially imaginary parts of the ac susceptibility. Thermal hysteresis depends on the thermal cycling and indicates thermally irreversible wall pinning and depinning. The susceptibility is practically frequency-independent in the temperature range of thermal hysteresis i.e. below the anomaly. The frequency dependence of ac susceptibility between the anomaly temperature and the transition temperature is discussed by considering the temperature dependence of the relaxation process of the domain walls.
Comment: 10 figures