Magnetic Spin Origin of the Charge-Ordered Phase in Manganites

We argue that the charge ordering observed in $50\%$ doped manganites is a manifestation of the peculiar antiferromagnetic spin ordering. The latter, combined with the large Hund's rule physics in manganites, divides the whole system into the quasi-one-dimensional zigzag objects, which exhibit a very unique electronic structure and behave as band insulators. This results in a strong anisotropy of short-range double-exchange interactions, which is responsible for the local stability of the antiferromagnetic state.