An X-Ray Induced Structural Transition in La₀.875Sr₀.125MnO₃

We report a synchrotron x-ray scattering study of the magnetoresistive manganite La_0.875Sr_0.125MnO_3. At low temperatures, this material undergoes an x-ray induced structural transition at which charge ordering of Mn^3+ and Mn^4+ ions characteristic to the low-temperature state of this compound is destroyed. The transition is persistent but the charge-ordered state can be restored by heating above the charge-ordering transition temperature and subsequently cooling. The charge-ordering diffraction peaks, which are broadened at all temperatures, broaden more upon x-ray irradiation, indicating the finite correlation length of the charge-ordered state. Together with the recent reports on x-ray induced transitions in Pr_(1-x)Ca_xMnO_3, our results demonstrate that the photoinduced structural change is a common property of the charge-ordered perovskite manganites.