Discontinuous transitions in double-exchange materials

It is shown that the double-exchange Hamiltonian, with weak antiferromagnetic interactions, has a rich variety of first-order transitions between phases with different electronic densities and/or magnetizations. The paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition moves towards lower temperatures, and becomes discontinuous as the relative strength of the double-exchange mechanism and antiferromagnetic coupling is changed. This trend is consistent with the observed differences between compounds with the same nominal doping, such as La2/3Sr1/3MnO₃ and La2/3Ca1/3MnO₃. Our results suggest that, in the low doping regime, a simple magnetic mechanism suffices to explain the main features of the phase diagram.