Magnetotransport in manganites and the role of quantal phases I: Theory

A microscopic picture of charge transport in manganites is developed, with particular attention being paid to the neighborhood of the ferromagnet-to- paramagnet phase transition. The basic transport mechanism invoked is inelastically-assisted carrier hopping between states localized by magnetic disorder. In the context of the anomalous Hall effect, central roles are played by the Pancharatnam and spin-orbit quantal phases.