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D. Aoki

Publications and source records attributed to D. Aoki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Field-induced antiferromagnetic transition in CeIrIn$_5$

We report low-temperature $^{115}$In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of the prototypical heavy-fermion compound CeIrIn$_5$ in high magnetic fields applied close to the crystallographic $c$ axis. For this orientation, a field-induced transition was previously reported to take place at about 28 T. Although we do not observe any change of the NMR spectrum above the transition, the intensity of the NMR lines drastically decreases as a consequence of a considerable shortening of the $T_2$ relaxation time. In addition, $1/T_1$ shows a pronounced maximum at the transition. Taking into account previous high-field de Haas-van Alphen results in conjunction with band-structure calculations, our NMR results are most naturally explained by the field-induced transition into an antiferromagnetic state with the propagation vector $\mathbf{Q} = (1/2, 1/2, 0)$ and magnetic moments aligned antiferromagnetically along the $c$ axis. This makes CeIrIn$_5$ a unique case where the application of the magnetic field induces an ordered state with moments antiferromagnetically aligned along the field direction.

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arXiv2026

Fermi-liquid versus non-Fermi-liquid/'strange-metal' fits to the electrical resistivity in the quantum critical magnetic regime of an unconventional superconductor

The question of a possible quantum critical point lying inside of a superconducting phase is central for understanding unconventional superconductivity. In various unconventional superconductors, non-Fermi-liquid/'strange-metal' $T^{n}$ variations, with $n<2$, of the electrical resistivity have been identified as the signature of magnetic quantum criticality. However, a difficulty is to prove experimentally that a non-Fermi-liquid/'strange-metal' law identified at temperatures above the superconducting temperature is the signature of an intrinsic zero-temperature quantum critical regime. In the heavy-fermion paramagnet UTe$_2$, unconventional superconductivity develops in the vicinity of a metamagnetic quantum phase transition induced by a magnetic field, and the quantum critical magnetic properties are suspected to play a role for the superconducting mechanism. In this work, we present a comparative analysis of electrical resistivity data collected on two UTe$_2$ samples of different qualities, in magnetic fields tilted by angles $\theta\simeq35-40$~$^\circ$ from $\mathbf{b}$ to $\mathbf{c}$. Fits to the data have been performed either with a Fermi-liquid function $\rho=\rho_0+AT^{2}$ or with a non-Fermi-liquid/'strange-metal' function $\rho=\rho_0+A_nT^n$. Near to a superconducting phase induced beyond 40~T, non-physical residual resistivities $\rho_0<0$ are extracted from the $T^n$ fits, revealing that a 'hidden' Fermi-liquid $T^2$ regime may be ultimately recovered at low temperature. The results obtained here highlight the importance to investigate high-quality samples with low residual resistivity to confirm - or not - the presence of a suspected 'hidden' quantum critical behavior masked by superconductivity.

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arXiv2025

Bulk signatures of re-entrant superconductivity in UTe$_2$ from ultrasound measurements

We report bulk ultrasound measurements up to 80 T and down to 0.5 K of the field re-entrant superconducting phase of the unconventional superconductor UTe$_2$. Clear bulk signatures of superconductivity are observed in the longitudinal elastic mode $c_{11}$ for fields applied at a tilt angle of $\theta_{b-c} =30^\circ$ from $b$-axis. We confirm an upper critical field of $H_{\rm c2}\approx65$ T at 0.5 K and bulk superconductivity which survives up to $T\approx 2$ K for fields above the metamagnetic transition. The $c_{11}$ mode has propagation and displacement vectors along the $a$-axis, and for fields applied at a tilt angle of $\theta_{b-c} =30^\circ$, this mode is sensitive to the elasticity of the vortex lattice. The anomalies observed in $c_{11}$ are in part reminiscent of superconducting vortices pinned to lattice defects. Nonetheless, an excess attenuation, with respect to the normal state, is observed throughout the entire superconducting phase, suggesting unusual vortex dynamics and pinning in the field re-entrant superconducting phase of UTe$_2$.

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arXiv2025

Visualization of vortex sheets and half quantum vortices in the chiral odd-parity superconductor UPt$_{3}$

Superconductivity is characterized by vanishing electrical resistance and magnetic flux expulsion. For conventional type II superconductors, the magnetic flux expulsion is incomplete in an applied magnetic field above a critical value and magnetic flux penetrates the bulk of the superconductor in discrete quantized magnetic flux tubes (vortices), each carrying a single quantum of flux (h/2e). Investigating the unconventional superconductor UPt$_{3}$ with a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope, we observed mobile half-quantum vortices together with one quantum vortices. Cooling the material under a higher magnetic field revealed the presence of lines of magnetic contrast resembling domain walls. These observations agree with theoretical predictions for chiral superconductivity with a two dimensional complex order-parameter with sheets of half-quantum vortices separating domains of opposite order-parameter chirality.

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arXiv2025

Anisotropic collapse of electronic correlations in the ferromagnet UGe$_2$ under high magnetic field

We present electrical-resistivity measurements on the prototypical heavy-fermion ferromagnet UGe$_2$ under pulsed magnetic field up to 60~T. An anisotropic field-induced suppression of the electronic correlations is revealed. The electrical resistivity strongly decreases when a magnetic field $\mathbf{H}$ is applied along the easy magnetic axis $\mathbf{a}$, while it remains almost unchanged when $\mathbf{H}$ is applied along the hard magnetic axes $\mathbf{b}$ and $\mathbf{c}$. The field-induced destabilization of the ferromagnetic state is also anisotropic: the anomaly at the Curie temperature $T_C$ disappears in fields higher than $\gtrsim1$~T for $\mathbf{H}\parallel\mathbf{a}$ and in fields higher than $\gtrsim20$~T for $\mathbf{H}\parallel\mathbf{b},\mathbf{c}$. At temperatures below 2~K, we observe quantum oscillations in fields larger than 50~T applied along $\mathbf{b}$, which support the presence of a two-dimensional Fermi surface similar to that previously observed at low fields.

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arXiv2025

Boosted magnetic fluctuations at the onset of superconductivity in UTe$_2$ beyond 40 T

Several unconventional superconducting phases have been discovered close to a metamagnetic transition in the heavy-fermion compound UTe$_2$. Although suspected to be of magnetic nature, the mechanisms stabilizing these superconducting phases remain mysterious. Here, we present electrical-resistivity measurements on UTe$_2$, with a current $\mathbf{I}\parallel\mathbf{a}$ and under pulsed magnetic fields up to 60~T rotating in the ($\mathbf{b}$,$\mathbf{c}$) plane. We find that the maximum of the Fermi-liquid coefficient $A$ at the metamagnetic transition is enhanced under magnetic fields tilted by $30-40~^\circ$ from $\mathbf{b}$ to $\mathbf{c}$. The enhancement of $A$ coincides with the stabilization of superconductivity in the polarized paramagnetic regime beyond the metamagnetic field $\mu_0H_m\gtrsim40$~T. It is the signature of a boosted quantum-critical magnetic-fluctuation mode probably in play for the mechanism of this superconducting phase. This result appeals for descriptions of the interplay between magnetic-field-induced superconductivity and quantum critical magnetic properties.

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arXiv2025

Exotic magnetic phase diagram and extremely robust antiferromagnetism in Ce$_2$RhIn$_8$

The antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion compound Ce$_2$RhIn$_8$ belongs to the same family and bears similarities with the well-studied prototypical material CeRhIn$_5$, which demonstrates a unique behavior under applied magnetic field. Here, we report specific-heat measurements on a high-quality single crystal of Ce$_2$RhIn$_8$ in magnetic fields up to 35 T applied along both principal crystallographic directions. When the magnetic field is applied along the $a$ axis of the tetragonal crystal structure, two additional field-induced antiferromagnetic phases are observed, in agreement with previous reports. One of them is confined in a small area of the field-temperature phase diagram. The other one, which develops above $\sim$2.5 T, is very robust against the field. Its transition temperature increases with field, reaches a maximum at $\sim$12 T, and then starts to decrease. However, it tends to saturate towards the highest field of our measurements. For a field applied along the $c$ axis, the N\'{e}el temperature, $T_N$, initially decreases with field, as expected for a typical antiferromagnet. Surprisingly, an additional phase emerges above $\sim$10 T. It is most likely to be of the same origin as its counterpart observed above 2.5 T for the other field orientation. This phase is also unusually robust: Its transition temperature increases all the way up to 35 T, where it exceeds the zero field $T_N =$~2.85 K. Finally, for both field directions, the phase diagrams contain rarely observed tricritical points of second-order phase transitions.

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arXiv2025

Quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surfaces of the antiferromagnet U$_2$RhIn$_8$ revealed by de Haas-van Alphen measurements

We report temperature-dependent Hall effect and low-temperature de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) effect measurements of the antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion compound U$_2$RhIn$_8$. Temperature dependence of the Hall resistivity suggests a considerable reduction of the carrier density in the antiferromagnetic phase. The observed angular dependence of the dHvA frequencies suggests the existence of three almost ideally two-dimensional Fermi surfaces one of which is quite large. The measured effective masses range from 2$m_0$ to 14$m_0$ for the field applied along the $c$ axis. Local density approximation band-structure calculations performed for the paramagnetic ground state reveal more three-dimensional Fermi surfaces than those observed in the experiment. On the other hand, Fermi surfaces obtained for the antiferromagnetic ground state by band folding are more two dimensional. These calculations account reasonably well for the experimental results assuming a slight modification of the calculated Fermi surfaces.

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arXiv2024

Connecting High-Field and High-Pressure Superconductivity in UTe2

The existence of multiple superconducting phases induced by either pressure or magnetic field is one of the most striking features of superconductivity of UTe$_2$, among the many unusual superconducting properties of this system. Here we report thermodynamic measurements of the superconducting phase diagram combining pressure and magnetic fields up to 30 T. We show that the ambient pressure, high-field, superconducting phase evolves continuously with pressure to join the high-pressure, zero-field superconducting phase. This proves that these two phases are one and the same, and must have the same order parameter.

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arXiv2024

Metamagnetism in the high-pressure tetragonal phase of UTe$_2$

A structural orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition was recently discovered in the heavy-fermion compound UTe$_2$ at a pressure $p^*\simeq3-8$~GPa [Honda \textit{et al.}, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. \textbf{92}, 044702 (2023); Huston \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. Mat. \textbf{6}, 114801 (2022)]. In the high-pressure tetragonal phase, a phase transition at $T_x=235$~K and a superconducting transition at $T_{sc}=2$~K have been revealed. In this work, we present an electrical-resistivity study of UTe$_2$ in pulsed magnetic fields up to $\mu_0H=58$~T combined with pressures up to $p$ = 6 GPa. The field was applied in a direction tilted by 30~$^\circ$~from \textbf{b} to \textbf{c} in the orthogonal structure, which is identified as the direction \textbf{c} of the tetragonal structure. In the tetragonal phase, the presence of superconductivity is confirmed and signatures of metamagnetic transitions are observed at the fields $\mu_0H_{x1}=24$~T and $\mu_0H_{x2}=34$~T and temperatures smaller than $T_x$. We discuss the effects of uniaxial pressure and we propose that a magnetic ordering drives the transition at $T_x$.

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arXiv2024

Reinforcement of superconductivity by quantum critical fluctuations of metamagnetism in UTe$_2$

The normal-conducting state of the superconductor UTe$_2$ is studied by entropy analysis for magnetic fields along the $b$-axis, obtained from magnetization using the relation $(\partial M/\partial T)_B=(\partial S/\partial B)_T$. We observe a strong increase in entropy with magnetic field due to metamagnetic fluctuations (spatially uniform, $Q=0$). The field dependence is well described by the Hertz-Millis-Moriya theory for quantum criticality of itinerant metamagnetism. Notably, the lower bound of the quantum-critical region coincides well with the position of the minimum in the superconducting transition temperature $T_c(B)$. Hence, our results suggest that $Q=0$ fluctuations reinforce the superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Incommensurate antiferromagnetism in UTe2 under pressure

The discovery of multiple superconducting phases in UTe2 boosted research on correlated-electron physics. This heavy-fermion paramagnet was rapidly identified as a reference compound to study the interplay between magnetism and unconventional superconductivity with multiple degrees of freedom. The proximity to a ferromagnetic quantum phase transition was initially proposed as a driving force to triplet-pairing superconductivity. However, we find here that long-range incommensurate antiferromagnetic order is established under pressure. The propagation vector km = (0.07,0.33,1) of the antiferromagnetic phase is close to a wavevector where antiferromagnetic fluctuations have previously been observed at ambient pressure. These elements support that UTe2 is a nearly-antiferromagnet at ambient pressure. Our work appeals for theories modelling the evolution of the magnetic interactions and electronic properties, driving a correlated paramagnetic regime at ambient pressure to a long-range antiferromagnetic order under pressure. A deeper understanding of itinerant-f-electrons magnetism in UTe2 will be a key for describing its unconventional superconducting phases.

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arXiv2023

c axis electrical transport at the metamagnetic transition in the heavy-fermion superconductor UTe2 under pressure

The electrical resistivity of the unconventional superconductor UTe$_2$ shows very anisotropic behavior in the normal state depending on the current direction. In the present paper we show that the maximum in the resistivity $\rho_c$ for current applied along the $c$ axis at $T^{\rm max}_{\rho_c} \approx 14.75$~K follows the minimum in the thermal expansion $T_\alpha^\star$ along $b$ axis. Under a magnetic field applied along the $b$ axis, $T^{\rm max}_{\rho_c}$ can be tracked up to the critical point of the first order metamagnetic transition, which is located near 6~K and 34.5~T. Surprisingly, at the metamagnetic field $H_m$ the resistivity $\rho_c$ shows a steplike decrease while the resistivities $\rho_a$ and $\rho_b$, for current along the $a$ and $b$ axis, respectively, show a steplike increase. Under hydrostatic pressure $T^{\rm max}_{\rho_c}$ and $H_m$ decrease significantly up to the critical pressure $p_c$ at which superconductivity is suppressed and a long range antiferromagnetic order appears. We show that the phase diagram at different pressures can be scaled by $T^{\rm max}_{\rho_c}$ in field and temperature suggesting that this temperature scale is governing the main interactions in the normal state.

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arXiv2022

Self-reconstruction of order parameter in spin-triplet superconductor UTe$_2$

We investigate the effect of easy-axis metamagnetic crossover on superconductivity in UTe$_2$ along the $a$-axis through measurements of AC susceptibility, magnetization, and the magnetocaloric effect. In ultra-clean single crystals, we identify a field-induced phase transition within the superconducting state at 5.6 T, driven by metamagnetism. This transition leads to a high-field superconducting state, significantly increasing the upper critical field to 12 T. A sudden increase in entropy at the transition suggests a self-reconstruction of the order parameter, enabling multi-component superconducting states to adapt to external perturbations.

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arXiv2022

Field Induced Multiple Superconducting Phases in UTe2 along Hard Magnetic Axis

The superconducting (SC) phase diagram in uranium ditelluride is explored under magnetic fields ($H$) along the hard magnetic b-axis using a high-quality single crystal with $T_{\rm c} = 2.1$ K. Simultaneous electrical resistivity and AC magnetic susceptibility measurements discern low- and high-field SC (LFSC and HFSC, respectively) phases with contrasting field-angular dependence. Crystal quality increases the upper critical field of the LFSC phase, but the $H^{\ast}$ of $\sim$15 T, at which the HFSC phase appears, is always the same through the various crystals. A phase boundary signature is also observed inside the LFSC phase near $H^{\ast}$, indicating an intermediate SC phase characterized by small flux pinning forces.

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arXiv2022

Change of superconducting character in UTe2induced by magnetic field

UTe2 is a recently discovered spin-triplet superconductor. One of the characteristic features of UTe2 is a magnetic field (H)-boosted superconductivity above 16 T when H is applied exactly parallel to the b axis. To date, this superconducting (SC) state has not been thoroughly investigated, and the SC properties as well as the spin state of this high-H SC (HHSC) phase are not well understood. In this study, we performed AC magnetic susceptibility and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements and found that, up to 24.8 T, the HHSC state is intrinsic to UTe2 and quite sensitive to the H angle, and that its SC character is different from that in the low-H SC (LHSC) state. The dominant spin component of the spin-triplet pair is along the a axis in the LHSC state but is changed in the HHSC state along the b axis. Our results indicate that H-induced multiple SC states originate from the remaining spin degrees of freedom.

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arXiv2022

Anisotropic signatures of the electronic correlations in the electrical resistivity of UTe$_2$

Multiple unconventional superconducting phases are suspected to be driven by magnetic fluctuations in the heavy-fermion paramagnet UTe$_2$, and a challenge is to identify the signatures of the electronic correlations, including the magnetic fluctuations, in the bulk physical quantities. Here, we investigate thoroughly the anisotropy of the electrical resistivity of UTe$_2$ under intense magnetic fields up to 70~T, for different electrical-current and magnetic-field configurations. Two characteristic temperatures and an anisotropic low-temperature Fermi-liquid-like coefficient $A$, controlled by the electronic correlations, are extracted. Their critical behavior near the metamagnetic transition induced at $\mu_0H_m\simeq35$~T for $\mathbf{H}\parallel\mathbf{b}$ is characterized. Anisotropic scattering processes are evidenced and magnetic fluctuations are proposed to contribute, via a Kondo hybridization, to the electrical resistivity. Our work appeals for a microscopic modeling of the anisotropic contributions to the electrical resistivity as a milestone for understanding magnetically-mediated superconductivity in UTe$_2$.

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arXiv2022

Zero-field current-induced Hall effect in ferrotoroidic metal

We have performed precise Hall measurements for the ferrotoroidic candidate material UNi4B. Below Neel temperature TN ~ 20 K (corresponding to the ferrotoroidic transition temperature), a Hall voltage becomes finite even at zero field and changes proportional to the square of current density; by contrast, it is almost zero above TN. Moreover, we have found that a current-induced magnetization estimated from our Hall effect measurements is qualitatively consistent with the previous directly measured value. These results provide strong evidence for a magnetoelectric phenomenon uniquely in ferrotoroidic metals -- a zero-field nonlinear Hall effect resulting from the current-induced magnetization connecting the ferrotoroidal moments.

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