Nanoscale phase separation in La_(0.7)Ca_(0.3)MnO₃ films: evidence for the texture driven optical anisotropy

The IR optical absorption (0.1-1.5 eV) in the $La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_3$ films on LAO substrate exhibits the drastic temperature evolution of the spectral weight evidencing the insulator to metal transition. Single crystal films were found to reveal strong linear dichroism with anomalous spectral oscillations and fairly weak temperature dependence. Starting from the concept of phase separation, we develop the effective medium model to account for these effects. The optical anisotropy of the films is attributed to the texturization of the ellipsoidal inclusions of the quasimetal phase caused by a mismatch of the film and substrate and the twin texture of the latter.