Freezing of anisotropic spin clusters in La1.98Sr0.02CuO4

Abstract

A spin-glass compound, La$_{1.98}$Sr$_{0.02}$CuO$_4$, shows quasi-three-dimensional magnetic ordering below $\sim$40 K. A remarkable feature is that the magnetic correlation length along the orthorhombic $a\rm_{ortho}$ axis is much longer than that along the $b\rm_{ortho}$ axis, suggesting that the spin structure is closely related to the diagonal stripe structure. The spin-glass state can be expressed as a random freezing of quasi-three-dimensional spin clusters with anisotropic spin correlations ($ξ'_a\sim160$ à , $ξ'_b\sim25$ à , and $ξ'_c\sim4.7$ à at 1.6 K). The new magnetic state is important as an intermediate phase between the three-dimensional antiferromagnetic ordered phase in La$_2$CuO$_4$ and the incommensurate phase in La$_{1.95}$Sr$_{0.05}$CuO$_4$ in which the positions of the incommensurate peaks are rotated by 45$^\circ$ in reciprocal space about ($π$,$π$) from those observed in the superconducting La$_2$CuO$_4$ compounds.

7 pages, RevTex, 8 PS figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B