Comment on ``Strain effect and the phase diagram of La_(1-x)Ba_xMnO₃ thin films''

Recent experiments in La$_{1-x}$Ba$_x$MnO$_3$ thin films by Zhang {\it et al.} {[Phys. Rev. B {\bf 64}, 184404 (2001)]} showed that the ferromagnetic Curie temperature $T_c$ is enhanced (reduced) by tensile (compressive) strain. The results are regarded to be anomalous because it is generally understood by the authors that the tensile strain should lead to a reduction of the electron hopping $t$ (and thus also $T_c$) due to an elongation of the (in-plane) Mn-O bond length. In this comment such a general understanding of the strain effects is disapproved. It is argued that the tensile strain leads primarily to a larger Mn-O-Mn bond angle (with the Mn-O bond length nearly unchanged), thus the pure geometric consideration on $t$ is already in the correct direction towards the experimental findings by Zhang {\it et al.} At the same time, an indirect strain effect under consideration of the dynamic electron-phonon coupling is proposed, which may improve the quantitative explanation.