Magnetic phase diagram of layered manganites in the highly doped regime.

The naturally layered colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) manganites La{sub 2{minus}2x}Sr{sub 1+2x}Mn{sub 2}O{sub 7} exhibit an extremely varied range of magnetic and electronic behavior over a very narrow composition range between x = 0.3 and x = 0.5. The successful synthesis in our laboratories of compounds with nominally greater than 50 percent Mn{sup 4+} concentration has now allowed the study of this heretofore unexplored region of the phase diagram. Here we present detailed neutron diffraction measurements of these compounds with doping levels 0.5 < x <1.0. As predicted by simple theories, the type-A layered antiferromagnetic (AF) structure is found at x{approximately}0.5 and the type-G ''rocksalt'' AF structure at x = 1.0. Between these two extremes is found a C-type structure (ferromagnetic rods parallel to b coupled antiferromagnetically to all neighboring rods) stabilized by orbital ordering of y{sup 2} states. Also in this Mn{sup 4+}-rich regime is found a region in which no long-range magnetic order is observed. We discuss how semi-empirical models can explain the variety of magnetic structures and how structural trends as a function of doping corroborate the unifying notion of a shift from in-plane to axial orbital occupation as the Mn{sup 4+} concentration is decreased