Sign reversal of the MN-O bond compressibility in La{sub 1.2}Sr{sub 1.8}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 7} below T{sub C}: Exchange striction in the ferromagnetic state

The crystal structure of the layered perovskite La{sub 1.2}Sr{sub 1.8}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 7} has been studied under hydrostatic pressure up to {approximately} 6 kbar, in the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic states, with neutron powder diffraction. The compressibility of the Mn-O apical bonds in the double layer of MnO{sub 6} octahedra changes sign from the paramagnetic insulator (PI) to the ferromagnetic metal (FM) state; in the Fm state the Mn-O-Mn linkage between MnO{sub 2} planes expands under applied pressure, whereas they contract in the PI state. This counterintuative behavior is interpreted in terms of exchange striction, which reflect the competition between super- and double-exchange. An increase of the Mn-moment with applied pressure in the FM state is consistent with a positive dT{sub C}/dP, as well as a cant angle {theta}{sub 0} between the magnetizations of neighboring MnO{sub 2} sheets that decreases with pressure