Effect of Eu doping and partial oxygen isotope substitution on magnetic phase transitions in (Pr_(1-y)Eu_y)_(0.7)Ca_(0.3)CoO₃ cobaltites

We study experimentally and theoretically the effect of Eu doping and partial oxygen isotope substitution on the transport and magnetic characteristics and spin-state transitions in (Pr$_{1-y}$Eu$_y$)$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$CoO$_3$ cobaltites. The Eu doping level $y$ is chosen in the range of the phase diagram near the crossover between the ferromagnetic and spin-state transitions ($0.10 < y < 0.20$). We prepared a series of samples with different degrees of enrichment by the heavy oxygen isotope $^{18}$O, namely, containing 90%, 67%, 43%, 17%, and 0% of $^{18}$O. Based on the measurements of ac magnetic susceptibility $\chi(T)$ and electrical resistivity $\rho(T)$, we analyze the evolution of the sample properties with the change of Eu and $^{18}$O content. It is demonstrated that the effect of increasing $^{18}$O content on the system is similar to that of increasing the Eu content. The band structure calculations of the energy gap between $t_{2g}$ and $e_g$ bands including the renormalization of this gap due to the electron-phonon interaction reveal the physical mechanisms underlying such similarity.