Signature of checkerboard fluctuations in the phonon spectra of a possible polaronic metal La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7

Charge carriers in low-doped semiconductors may distort the atomic lattice around them and through this interaction form so-called small polarons. High carrier concentrations on the other hand can lead to short-range ordered polarons (large polarons) and even to a long-range charge and orbital order. These ordered systems should be insulating with a large electrical resistivity. However, recently a polaronic pseudogap was found in a metallic phase of La(2-2x)Sr(1+2x)Mn(2)O(7) (ref. 7). This layered manganite is famous for colossal magnetoresistance associated with a phase transition from this low-temperature metallic phase to a high-temperature insulating phase. Broad charge-order peaks due to large polarons in the insulating phase disappear when La(2-2x)Sr(1+2x)Mn(2)O(7) becomes metallic. Investigating how polaronic features survive in the metallic phase, here we report the results of inelastic neutron scattering measurements showing that inside the metallic phase polarons remain as fluctuations that strongly broaden and soften certain phonons near the wavevectors where the charge-order peaks appeared in the insulating phase. Our findings imply that polaronic signatures in metals may generally come from a competing insulating charge-ordered phase. Our findings are highly relevant to cuprate superconductors with both a pseudogap and a similar phonon effect associated with a competing stripe order.