Imaging of polarons in ferromagnetic bilayered manganites by scanning tunnelling microscopy

We report scanning tunnelling microscopy images of polaronic charge ordered patch on the layered ferromagnet La(2-2x) Sr(1+2x) Mn(2)O(7), x=0.32. The spectroscopic investigation shows that the material is gapped above and below the critical temperature, where the gap changes from 500 to 800 mV, giving evidence for polaronic transport behaviour.