Pressure tuning of structure, superconductivity and novel magnetic order in the Ce-underdoped electron-doped cuprate T'-Pr_1.3-xLa_0.7Ce_xCuO_4 (x = 0.1)

High-pressure neutron powder diffraction, muon-spin rotation and magnetization studies of the structural, magnetic and the superconducting properties of the Ce-underdoped superconducting (SC) electron-doped cuprate system T'-Pr_1.3-xLa_0.7Ce_xCuO_4 with x = 0.1 are reported. A strong reduction of the lattice constants a and c is observed under pressure. However, no indication of any pressure induced phase transition from T' to T structure is observed up to the maximum applied pressure of p = 11 GPa. Large and non-linear increase of the short-range magnetic order temperature T_so in T'-Pr_1.3-xLa_0.7Ce_xCuO_4 (x = 0.1) was observed under pressure. Simultaneously pressure causes a non-linear decrease of the SC transition temperature T_c. All these experiments establish the short-range magnetic order as an intrinsic and a new competing phase in SC T'-Pr_1.2La_0.7Ce_0.1CuO_4. The observed pressure effects may be interpreted in terms of the improved nesting conditions through the reduction of the in-plane and out-of-plane lattice constants upon hydrostatic pressure.
Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures