  A system of strongly-interacting electron-lattice polarons can exhibit charge
and orbital order at sufficiently high polaron concentrations. In this study,
the structure of short-range polaron correlations in the layered colossal
magnetoresistive perovskite manganite, La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7, has been determined by
a crystallographic analysis of broad satellite maxima observed in diffuse X-ray
and neutron scattering data. The resulting q=(0.3,0,1) modulation is a
longitudinal octahedral-stretch mode, consistent with an incommensurate
Jahn-Teller-coupled charge-density-wave fluctuations, that implies an unusual
orbital-stripe pattern parallel to the <100> directions.
