Strong dependence of the interlayer coupling on the hole mobility in antiferromagnetic La2-xSrxCuO4 (x < 0.02) -: art. no. 220507

We have studied the magnetic coupling between the CuO2 planes in the antiferromagnetic (AF) phase of Sr- and Zn-doped La2CuO4 by analyzing the spin-flip transition in the magnetization curves. We find that the interlayer coupling plays a key role in the suppression of the AF phase, and that only mobile holes cause a strong frustration of the interlayer coupling. Depending on the hole mobility, samples with identical Neel temperature can have a very different interlayer coupling.