Artem O. Sboychakov1 (

), A. L. Rakhmanov
1,
K. I. Kugel
1,
M. Yu. Kagan
2, I.V. Brodsky
2
1Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electrodynamics,
Russian Academy of Sciences,
Izhorskaya Str. 13/19, 125412 Moscow, Russia.
2P. L. Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems,
Russian Academy of Sciences,
Kosygina Str. 2, 117334 Moscow, Russia.
The mechanisms underlying the magnetoresistance of non-metallic
phase-separated manganites are analyzed. The material is modeled
by a system of small ferromagnetic metallic droplets (magnetic
polarons or ferrons) in an insulating matrix. The concentration
of metallic phase is assumed to be far from the percolation
threshold. The electron tunneling between ferrons causes the
charge transfer in such a system. The magnetoresistance is
determined by the effect of magnetic field H on the tunneling
probability related to the changes both in the size of ferrons
and in the mutual orientation of their magnetic moments.
It is shown that the low-field magnetoresistance is proportional
to H2 and decreases with temperature as 1/Tn,
where n can vary
from 2 up to 5 depending of the parameters of the system.
In the strong-field limit, the tunneling magnetoresistance grows
exponentially, but the crossover between these two regimes
can correspond to a plateau.