Local structure of La1.65Eu0.2Sr0.15CuO4 determined by 63Cu NMR spectroscopy and Van Vleck paramagnetism of Eu3+ ions -: art. no. 224508

We investigate the local symmetry of the tilting of the CuO6 octahedra in La1.65Eu0.2Sr0.15CuO4 by means of Cu-63 NMR spectroscopy and the Van Vleck susceptibility of the Eu3+ ions. The lineshape of the Cu-NMR central line is sensitive to local structure through the coupling of the Cu-63 nuclear quadrupole moment to the local electric field gradient. The Eu3+ Van Vleck susceptibility, as a single ion effect, locally probes the symmetry of the crystal field at the Eu site. Both techniques independently provide clear evidence for a change of the local tilt symmetry at the first order structural transition from the orthorhombic to the low-temperature tetragonal phase, in excellent agreement with the average structure obtained by diffraction techniques. We conclude that the symmetry of the average crystal structure accurately represents the symmetry of the octahedral tilt pattern on a local scale.