  Epitaxial thin films of LaCoO_{3} (E-LCO) exhibit ferromagnetic order with a
transition temperature T_c = 85 K, while polycrystalline thin LaCoO_{3} films
(P-LCO) remain paramagnetic. The temperature-dependent spin-state structure for
both E-LCO and P-LCO was studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co
L_{2,3} and O K edges. Considerable spectral redistributions over temperature
are observed for P-LCO. The spectra for E-LCO, on the other hand, do not show
any significant changes for temperatures between 30 K and 450 K at both edges,
indicating that the spin state remains constant and that the epitaxial strain
inhibits any population of the low-spin (S = 0) state with decreasing
temperature. This observation identifies an important prerequisite for
ferromagnetism in E-LCO thin films.
