thin films*

Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of magnetic materials is the dependence of electric resistance on the angle between the current through the material and an applied magnetic field. Exploring AMR in various materials can help us understand the underlying physical phenomena leading to their properties and how they may be used in devices such as solid-state magnetic memory. We studied the AMR of the hole-doped manganite (La_0.4Pr_0.6)_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃ (LPCMO) grown in thin film form on the substrate NdGaO₃ which exerts anisotropic stress on the material. AMR in LPCMO is likely due to the resultant anisotropic strain due to lattice mismatch with the substrate but with additional contribution from the well-known phase co-existence between ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) and insulating phases. We have collected and analyzed AMR data of LPCMO at different temperatures and magnetic fields to distinguish the effects of anisotropicstrain and phase separation. Our results show that anisotropic strain is not a significant contributor to AMR in the metallic phase and that AMR increases with temperature across the metal-insulator transition temperature unlike in single phase manganites such as La_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃. Hence, phase separation plays a leading role in generating AMR in LPCMO.