arXiv subjects

H. Sakai

Publications and source records attributed to H. Sakai.

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.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Collinear, incommensurate antiferromagnetism in van der Waals magnet alpha-UTe3

alpha-UTe3, a van der Waals (vdW) actinide compound with a monoclinic ZrSe3-type structure, is a narrow-gap semiconductor with 5f moments. 125Te NMR reveals strongly anisotropic, layer-confined spin fluctuations below about 20 K, with the a-axis component enhanced, and a signal wipeout at the antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at TN = 5 K. Single-crystal neutron diffraction finds q approx. (0.17, 0.5, 0) and a longitudinal sinusoidal modulation of a-axis moments (amplitude about 0.8 muB) with AFM stacking along b. A CEF singlet-singlet induced-moment framework accounts for the easy-axis anisotropy, the small heat-capacity anomaly at TN, the reduced ordered moment, and the exchange-driven selection of q in this localized 5f vdW magnet, establishing a constrained exchange geometry stabilizing this in-plane incommensurate state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Anisotropic spin fluctuations in the triangular Kondo lattice compound CePtAl$_4$Ge$_2$ probed by site-selective $^{27}$Al NMR

A site-selective $^{27}$Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study is carried out on the Kondo lattice compound CePtAl$_4$Ge$_2$, which crystallizes in a rhombohedral lattice with quasi-two-dimensional Ce layers forming a triangular lattice network. Two inequivalent Al sites, Al(1) and Al(2), are unambiguously assigned by comparing measured nuclear quadrupole parameters with electric field gradients obtained from electronic structure calculations. Knight shift analysis yields distinct hyperfine coupling constants, revealing that they arise predominantly from RKKY-type transferred hyperfine fields through conduction electrons. Spin-lattice relaxation measurements reveal pronounced anisotropic spin fluctuations, and comparison of the relaxation rates between the two Al sites clarifies the momentum-space structure of these fluctuations. At low magnetic fields, $(T_1T)^{-1}$ is strongly enhanced on cooling toward the N\'eel temperature, indicating the growth of in-plane antiferromagnetic correlations in the paramagnetic state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Transport evidence of current-induced nematic Dirac valleys in a parity-time-symmetric antiferromagnet

Itinerant antiferromagnets with broken time-reversal symmetry have recently attracted attention, since their spin-split bands enable large magnetotransport responses comparable to ferromagnets despite the negligible spontaneous magnetisation. When the inversion symmetry is further broken by the antiferromagnetic order, the emerging odd-parity multipole order renders the bands spin-degenerate but asymmetric in the momentum space. For such parity-time-symmetric antiferromagnets, it has been predicted that electronic nematicity is induced by current, allowing unconventional nonlinear transport phenomena. However, their experimental evidence has been lacking. Here, we report nonreciprocal angular magnetoresistance in the layered Dirac material SrMnBi$_2$ with parity-time-symmetric antiferromagnetic order in its Mn-Bi layers. By quantitatively modelling the angular and field dependencies using a phenomenological framework, we reveal that the observed nonreciprocal interlayer resistivity arises from the broken four-fold symmetry of the Dirac valleys in the Bi square net adjacent to the Mn-Bi layer. Furthermore, we demonstrate the alignment of parity-time-symmetric antiferromagnetic domains via current-field cooling, achieving electric-magnetic control of the $f$-wave polarity in momentum space. The observed switchable nonreciprocal transport associated with current-induced valley symmetry breaking paves the way for novel antiferromagnetic spintronic and valleytronic applications.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Radiation-tolerant polarized solid target

Polarized targets evolved into indispensable tools in particle and nuclear physics. However, the polarized solid target is degraded by high-intense beam irradiation, known as radiation damage due to target heating and radical generation. We demonstrated a radiation-tolerant polarized solid target operating at room temperature. An annealing allows the spontaneous repair of the damage by reducing unwanted radicals. Using a single crystal of $\it p$-terphenyl doped with 0.01 mol\% pentacene-$\it d$$_{14}$, Dynamic Nuclear Polarization using photoexcited triplet electrons (Triplet-DNP) was applied to proton spins at room temperature and in 0.39 T. For the proof of concept, a deuteron beam with an energy of 135 MeV/u and the intensities of 10$^7$-10$^9$ counts per second (cps) was irradiated. The proton polarization was determined to be 3.0\% $\pm$0.2\%$\rm{{(stat.)}}$ $\pm$0.1\%$\rm {{(sys.)}}$ from a scattering asymmetry. The polarization was almost not attenuated up to 10$^9$ cps, but the target crystal was yellowed. The visible-light absorption spectroscopy suggested irreversible radiation damage due to missing protons by the knock-out reaction. The room-temperature polarized solid target allows impractical experiments with the conventional target system, leading to a next-generation spin-dependent accelerator science.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Investigation of the Paramagnetic State of the Kagome Kondo Lattice Compound YbV$_6$Sn$_6$: a $^{51}$V Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study

YbV$_6$Sn$_6$ is a recently discovered kagome-lattice metal that orders at $T_{\rm N}\approx0.4$~K. Its layered structure combines a triangular Kondo lattice of Yb$^{3+}$ ions with vanadium-based kagome planes, which may host an interplay between strong correlations and band topology. We report a $^{51}$V nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of the paramagnetic state of YbV$_6$Sn$_6$. Detailed field-angular dependence of single-crystal NMR spectra determined the principal-axis directions of the electric field gradient tensor at the $^{51}$V sites, as well as their nuclear quadrupole frequency, $\nu_{\rm Q}$, and asymmetry parameter, $\eta$. The Knight shift, $K$, was measured for different field orientations, and the analysis of $K$ against magnetic susceptibility to extract anisotropic hyperfine couplings. Accurate spectral assignments further enabled measurements of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate, $1/T_1$, for both in-plane and out-of-plane field directions. The temperature dependence of $1/T_1$ shows that out-of-plane spin fluctuations are suppressed below $\sim$20~K, whereas in-plane fluctuations are markedly enhanced, which might be understood by thermal depopulation of the low-lying crystalline electric field excited state. The notable anisotropy in $1/T_1$ indicates that the paramagnetic state of YbV$_6$Sn$_6$ is strongly affected by in-plane spin dynamics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Extraction of the non-spin- and spin-transfer isovector responses via the $^{12}\mathrm{C}(^{10}\mathrm{Be},{}^{10}\mathrm{B}+\gamma)^{12}\mathrm{B}$ reaction

The isovector response in $^{12}$B was investigated via the $^{12}$C($^{10}\mathrm{Be}$,$^{10}\mathrm{B}$+$\gamma$)$^{12}$B$^\ast$ reaction at $100 A \, \mathrm{MeV}$. By utilizing the $\gamma$-decay properties of the 1.74 MeV $0^{+}$ and 0.718 MeV $1^{+}$ states in $^{10}\mathrm{B}$, the separate extraction of the non-spin-transfer ($\Delta S=0$) and spin-transfer ($\Delta S=1$) isovector responses up to an excitation energy of 50 MeV in $^{12}$B in a single measurement is demonstrated. The experimental setup employed the S800 spectrometer to detect and analyze the $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ ejectiles and the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking In-beam Nuclear Array (GRETINA) for obtaining the Doppler-reconstructed spectrum for $\gamma$-rays emitted in-flight by $^{10}\mathrm{B}$. A $^{12}$C foil was placed at the pivot point of the spectrograph. The $^{12}$B reaction product was not detected. Contributions from transitions associated with the transfer of different units of angular momentum in the non-spin- and spin-transfer responses were analyzed using a multipole decomposition analysis. The extracted non-spin-dipole ($\Delta S=0$, $\Delta L=1$) and spin-dipole ($\Delta S=1$, $\Delta L=1$) responses were found to be consistent with available data from other charge-exchange probes, validating the non-spin- and spin-transfer filters used. While statistical uncertainties and experimental resolutions were relatively large due to the modest intensity of the $^{10}\mathrm{Be}$ secondary beam, the results show that, with the much higher intensities that will be available at new rare-isotope beam facilities, the ($^{10}\mathrm{Be}$,$^{10}\mathrm{B}$+$\gamma$) reaction and its $\Delta T_{z}=-1$ partner, the ($^{10}$C,$^{10}\mathrm{B}$+$\gamma$) reaction, are powerful tools for elucidating the isovector non-spin- and spin-transfer responses in nuclei.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2025

Nonreciprocal charge transport in polar Dirac metals with tunable spin-valley coupling

Nonreciprocal charge transport in solids, where resistance is different between rightward and leftward currents, is a key function of rectifying devices in the modern electronics, as exemplified by $p$-$n$ semiconductor junctions. Recently, this was also demonstrated in noncentrosymmetric materials in magnetic fields, since their band structure exhibits spin polarization coupled to the position of momentum space due to the antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling. To enhance the magnitude of nonreciprocal effect, it is essential to tune such spin-momentum coupling, which has been hampered in the conventional materials owing to the difficulty in controlling the broken inversion symmetry built into the lattice and interfacial structures. Here we report large nonreciprocal resistivity in layered polar metal BaMn$X_2$ ($X$=Sb, Bi), where the spin-polarized Dirac dispersion depends on the in-plane polarization tunable by chemical substitution of the $X$ site. For $X$=Sb with a pair of single-type valleys, the nonreciprocal resistivity increases monotonically with decreasing temperature, while for $X$=Bi with multiple types of valleys it is reduced by about an order of magnitude and exhibits a peak at a low temperature. Theoretical calculations indicate that the nonreciprocal resistivity is sensitive not only to the spin-momentum (spin-valley) coupling, but also to the Fermi energy and the Dirac dispersion. The observed significant variation of nonreciprocal transport in the same series of materials might be of great use in the design of junction-free rectifying devices and circuits.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Three-nucleon force effects in polarization transfers from the doubly spin-polarized initial neutron-deuteron state to the outgoing neutron in neutron-deuteron scattering

We discuss new spin observables presently accessible to measurement in the proton-deuteron (pd) system, namely polarization transfer coefficients from doubly spin-polarized initial state to the outgoing nucleon in the elastic nucleon-deuteron (Nd) scattering and in the nucleon-induced deuteron breakup reactions. The sensitivity of these observables to three-nucleon force (3NF) effects is investigated and compared to sensitivities of the constituent standard single polarization transfer coefficients in the neutron-deuteron (nd) system. $K_{y,y}^{y'}$ in elastic nd scattering, for which large 3NF effects, up to 40\%, have been found at higher energies, seems the most promising observable to measure.

nucl-th↗

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↗

arXiv2024

Quasi-2D Fermi surface in the anomalous superconductor UTe2

The heavy fermion paramagnet UTe$_2$ exhibits numerous characteristics of spin-triplet superconductivity. Efforts to understand the microscopic details of this exotic superconductivity have been impeded by uncertainty regarding the underlying electronic structure. Here we directly probe the Fermi surface of UTe$_2$ by measuring magnetic quantum oscillations in pristine quality crystals. We find an angular profile of quantum oscillatory frequency and amplitude that is characteristic of a quasi-2D Fermi surface, which we find is well described by two cylindrical Fermi sheets of electron- and hole-type respectively. Additionally, we find that both cylindrical Fermi sheets possess considerable undulation but negligible small-scale corrugation, which may allow for their near-nesting and therefore promote magnetic fluctuations that enhance the triplet pairing mechanism. Importantly, we find no evidence for the presence of any 3D Fermi surface sections. Our results place strong constraints on the possible symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in UTe$_2$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Absolute value measurement of ion-scale turbulence by two-dimensional phase contrast imaging in Large Helical Device

Absolute value measurements of turbulence amplitude in magnetically confined high-temperature plasmas can effectively explain turbulence-driven transport characteristics and their role in plasma confinements. Two-dimensional phase contrast imaging (2D-PCI) is a technique to evaluate the space-time spectrum of ion-scale electron density fluctuation. However, absolute value measurement of turbulence amplitude has not been conducted owing to the nonlinearity of the detector. In this study, the absolute measurement method proposed in the previous study is applied to turbulence measurement results in the large helical device. As a result, the localized turbulence amplitude at $n_e=1.5\times 10^{19}$m$^{-3}$ is approximately $3.5\times 10^{15}$m$^{-3}$, which is 0.02\% of the electron density. In addition, the evaluated poloidal wavenumber spectrum is almost consistent, within a certain error range, the spectrum being calculated using a nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation. This result is the first to the best of our knowledge to quantitatively evaluate turbulence amplitudes measured by 2D-PCI and compare with simulations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2023

Fully gapped pairing state in spin-triplet superconductor UTe$_2$

Spin-triplet superconductors provide an ideal platform for realizing topological superconductivity with emergent Majorana quasiparticles. The promising candidate is the recently discovered superconductor UTe$ _2$, but the symmetry of the superconducting order parameter remains highly controversial. Here we determine the superconducting gap structure by the thermal conductivity of ultra-clean UTe$ _2$ single crystals. We find that the $a$ axis thermal conductivity divided by temperature $κ/T$ in zero-temperature limit is vanishingly small for both magnetic fields $\mathbf{H}||a$ and $\mathbf{H}||c$ axes up to $H/H_{c2}\sim 0.2$, demonstrating the absence of any types of nodes around $a$ axis contrary to the previous belief. The present results, combined with the reduction of the NMR Knight shift in the superconducting state, indicate that the superconducting order parameter belongs to the isotropic $A_u$ representation with a fully gapped pairing state, analogous to the B phase of superfluid $ ^3$He. These findings reveal that UTe$ _2$ is likely to be a long-sought three-dimensional (3D) strong topological superconductor characterized by a 3D winding number, hosting helical Majorana surface states on any crystal plane.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

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.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Anisotropic Enhancement of Lower Critical Field in Ultraclean Crystals of Spin-Triplet Superconductor UTe2

The paramagnetic spin-triplet superconductor UTe$_2$ has attracted significant attention because of its exotic superconducting properties including an extremely high upper critical field and possible chiral superconducting states. Recently, ultraclean single crystals of UTe$_2$ have become available, and thus measurements on these crystals are crucial to elucidate the intrinsic superconducting properties. Here, we report the thermodynamic critical field $H_{\rm c}$, the lower critical field $H_{\rm c1}$, and the upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$ at low fields of these high-quality single crystals. From the comparison of the anisotropies in $H_{\rm c1}$ and $H_{\rm c2}$, we find that the experimental $H_{\rm c1}$ values with the magnetic field along $b$- and $c$-axes are anomalously enhanced, showing unusual low-temperature upturns. We propose an effect of the strong Ising-like ferromagnetic fluctuations on the vortex line energy as the origin of the anisotropic enhancement of $H_{\rm c1}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

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.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

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.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Structural 130-K Phase Transition and Emergence of a Two-Ion Kondo State in HT-Ce$_2$Rh$_2$Ga Explored by $^{69,71}$Ga Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance

We have studied the microscopic magnetic properties, the nature of the 130-K phase transition, and the ground state in the recently synthesized compound Ce$_2$Rh$_2$Ga by use of $^{69,71}$Ga nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR). The NQR spectra clearly show an unusual phase transition at $T_t$ $\sim$ 130 K yielding a splitting of the high-temperature single NQR line into two clearly resolved NQR lines, providing evidence for two crystallographically inequivalent Ga sites. The NQR frequencies are in good agreement with fully-relativistic calculations of the band structure. Our NQR results indicate the absence of magnetic or charge order down to 0.3 K. The temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate, 1/$T_1$, shows three distinct regimes, with onset temperatures at $T_t$ and 2 K. The temperature-independent 1/$T_1$, observed between $T_t$ and 2 K, crosses over to a Korringa process, 1/$T_1$ $\propto$ $T$, below $\sim$ 2 K, which evidences a rare two-ion Kondo scenario: the system goes into a dense Kondo coherent state at 2.0 and 0.8 K for the two different Ga sites.

cond-mat.str-el↗