Lanthanum manganite

Lanthanum manganite is an inorganic compound with the formula LaMnO₃, often abbreviated as LMO. Lanthanum manganite is formed in the perovskite structure, consisting of oxygen octahedra with a central Mn atom. The cubic perovskite structure is distorted into an orthorhombic structure by a strong Jahn–Teller distortion of the oxygen octahedra.

Lanthanum manganite is an electrical insulator and an A-type antiferromagnet. It is the parent compound of several important alloys, often termed rare-earth manganites or colossal magnetoresistance oxides. These families include lanthanum strontium manganite, lanthanum calcium manganite and others.

In lanthanum manganite, both the La and the Mn are in the +3 oxidation state. Substitution of some of the La atoms by divalent atoms such as Sr or Ca induces a similar amount of tetravalent Mn⁺⁴ atoms. Such substitution, or doping can induce various electronic effects, which form the basis of a rich and complex electron correlation phenomena that yield diverse electronic phase diagrams in these alloys.