Relation between giant volume magnetostriction and colossal magnetoresistance near the Curie temperature of Sm0.55Sr0.45MnO3

The magnetic, transport, and elastic properties of Sm_0.55Sr_0.45MnO₃ have been established to be interrelated. At the Curie point, one observes a large volume compression ΔV/V≈0.1%, a sharp minimum in the temperature dependence of negative volume magnetostriction ω(T), and a maximum in the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity. Giant negative volume magnetostriction ω=?5×10^?4 has been found in a magnetic field H=0.9 T, which is accompanied by a colossal negative magnetoresistance of 44% in the same field. The results obtained are discussed in terms of a model of electronic phase separation.