arXiv subjects

Hideo Hosono

Publications and source records attributed to Hideo Hosono.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Iron-Based Superconductors: A Decade of Materials, Magnetism, and Mechanisms

Since its discovery in 2008, iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) have become a central platform for exploring high-temperature superconductivity in multiband, electron-correlated materials. This review focuses on major developments over the past decade or so, emphasizing experimental advances, pairing mechanisms, and emerging applications. Structural tuning through chemical substitution, pressure, and epitaxial growth enables precise control of the electronic, magnetic, and superconducting ground states, thereby revealing their interplay. In particular, the electronic nematic phase and stripe-type antiferromagnetic order-often coexisting or competing-are central to understanding the phase diagrams. Spin waves in magnetically ordered parent compounds and spin excitations (fluctuations) in doped superconductors are extensively characterized by inelastic neutron scattering. While high-energy spin excitations in doped superconductors retain substantial spectral weight across a wide energy range reminiscent of spin waves in their undoped parents, the low-energy response reveals a collective spin excitation termed "resonance" coupled to superconductivity. The momentum structure of superconductivity-induced resonance provides strong evidence for sign-changing pairing in many FeSCs, while disorder effects, orbital-fluctuation scenarios, quasiparticle damping, and compound-dependent gap structures indicate that $s_{\pm}$, $s_{++}$, nodal $s$, $d$-wave, and multicomponent states must be discussed in a material-specific framework. Advances in thin-film growth, intercalation chemistry, and interface engineering-particularly in FeSe-based systems-have enabled enhanced $T_{c}$ and novel device geometries. With high upper critical fields, moderate anisotropy, and improving current densities, FeSCs continue to drive both fundamental insight and technological applications in superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Nonreciprocal charge transport in an iron-based superconductor with broken inversion symmetry engineered by a hydrogen-concentration gradient

The breaking of spatial inversion symmetry in condensed matter gives rise to intriguing physical properties, such as ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, spin-momentum locking, and nonreciprocal responses. Here we propose that a concentration gradient, which often persists as a quasi-stable nonequilibrium state with long relaxation times in solids, can serve as a general platform for inversion symmetry breaking. We demonstrate this concept in an epitaxial thin film of the hydrogen-doped SmFeAsO (Sm1111:H) superconductor with a depthwise hydrogen-concentration gradient introduced via an optimized topotactic reaction. This film exhibits nonreciprocal charge transport, meaning that the electrical resistance depends on the direction of the applied current, which serves as a key signature of broken inversion symmetry. A pronounced nonreciprocal signal emerges in the vicinity of the superconducting transition, which we attribute to vortex-motion nonreciprocity arising from an asymmetric pinning landscape created by the hydrogen-concentration gradient. Owing to the high critical temperature of Sm1111:H, vortex-origin nonreciprocity is observed above 40 K, representing the highest temperature reported to date among single bulk materials without an artificially hetero-layered structure. Our findings establish concentration-gradient engineering as a versatile and broadly applicable route for realizing inversion-broken states in otherwise centrosymmetric hosts, opening pathways toward a broader landscape of odd-parity-driven functionalities.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Asymmetric stress engineering of dense dislocations in brittle superconductors for strong vortex pinning

Large lossless currents in high-temperature superconductors (HTS) critically rely on dense defects with suitable size and dimensionality to pin vortices, with dislocations being particularly effective due to their one-dimensional geometry to interact extensively with vortex lines. However, in non-metallic compounds such as HTS with rigid lattices, conventional deformation methods typically lead to catastrophic fracture rather than dislocation-mediated plasticity, making it a persistent challenge to introduce dislocations at high density. Here, we propose an asymmetric stress field strategy using extrusion to directly nucleate a high-density of dislocations in HTS by activating shear-driven lattice slip and twisting under superimposed hydrostatic compression. As demonstrated in iron-based superconductors (IBS), atomic displacements of nearly one angstrom trigger the formation of tilted dislocation lines with a density approaching that of metals. With further structural refinement, these dislocations serve as strong pinning centers that lead to a fivefold enhancement in the current-carrying capacity of IBS at 33 T, along with low anisotropy and a large irreversibility field. This work not only establishes a scalable route to engineer pinning landscapes in HTS, but also offers a generalizable framework for manipulating dislocation structures in rigid crystalline systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Is p-type doping in TeO2 feasible?

Wide-bandgap two-dimensional (2D) beta-TeO2 has been reported as a high-mobility p-type transparent semiconductor (Nat. Electron. 2021, 4, 277-283), attracting significant attention. This "breakthrough" not only challenges the conventional characterization of TeO2 as an insulator but also conflicts with the anticipated difficulty in hole doping of TeO2 by established chemical trends. Notably, the reported Fermi level of 0.9 eV above the valence band maximum (VBM) actually suggests that the material is an insulator, contradicting the high hole density obtained by Hall effect measurement. Furthermore, the detected residual Se and the possible reduced elemental Te in the 2D beta-TeO2 samples introduces complexity, considering that elemental Se, Te, and Te1-xSex themselves are high-mobility p-type semiconductor. Therefore, doubts regarding the true cause of the p-type conductivity observed in the 2D beta-TeO2 samples arise. In this work, we employ density functional theory calculations to illustrate that TeO2, whether in its bulk forms of alpha-, beta-, or gamma-TeO2, or in 2D beta-TeO2, inherently exhibits insulating properties and poses challenges in carrier doping due to its shallow conduction band minimum and deep valence band maximum (VBM). Our findings shed light on the insulating electrical properties and doping difficulty of TeO2, contrasting with the claimed p-type conductivity in the 2D beta-TeO2 samples, prompting inquiries into the true origin of the p-type conductivity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Discovery of self-assembled Ru/Si heterostructures with unique periodic nanostripe patterns boosting hydrogen evolution

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructuring is a versatile methodology for designing nanoarchitecture catalytic systems that allow for reconstruction and modulation of interfaces and electronic structures. However, catalysts with such structures are extremely scarce due to limited synthetic strategies. Here, we report a highly ordered 2D Ru/Si nano-heterostructures (RSHS) by acid etching of the LaRuSi electride. RSHS shows a superior electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution with an overpotential of 14 mV at 10 mA/cm2 in alkaline media. Both experimental analysis and first-principles calculations demonstrate that the electronic states of Ru can be tuned by strong interactions of the interfacial Ru-Si, leading to an optimized hydrogen adsorption energy. Moreover, due to the synergistic effect of Ru and Si, the energy barrier of water dissociation is significantly reduced. The unique nanostripe structure with abundant interfaces in RSHS will provide a paradigm for construction of efficient catalysts with tunable electronic states and dual active sites.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Distinctive Doping Dependence of Upper Critical Field in Iron-Based Superconductor LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$H$_{x}$

High magnetic fields up to 105 T have been utilized in deriving the upper critical field $B_{\rm c2}$ of LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$H$_x$ throughout whole temperatures below $T_{\rm c}$. Resistivity measurements demonstrate that $B_{\rm c2}$ behaves differently in samples with $x = 0.12$ (SC1) from those with 0.32 (SC2). In SC1, the two-band model assuming the $s$-wave pairing gives a good fitting with repulsive intraband interaction and dominant interband coupling. In SC2, we have to assume attractive intraband interaction with weak interband coupling, which in fact suggests a non-$s$-wave pairing in view of the strong Coulomb repulsion. These results support the possibility that SC1 and SC2 have different pairing symmetries.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Superconductivity in an Orbital-reoriented SnAs Square Lattice: a Case Study of Li0.6Sn2As2 and NaSnAs

Searching for functional square lattices in layered superconductor systems offers an explicit clue to modify the electron behavior and find exotic properties. The trigonal SnAs3 structural units in SnAs-based systems are relatively conformable to distortion, which provides the possibility to achieve structurally topological transformation and higher superconducting transition temperatures. In the present work, the functional As square lattice was realized and activated in Li0.6Sn2As2 and NaSnAs through a topotactic structural transformation of trigonal SnAs3 to square SnAs4 under pressure, resulting in a record-high Tc among all synthesized SnAs-based compounds. Meanwhile, the conductive channel transfers from the out-of-plane pz orbital to the in-plane px+py orbitals, facilitating electron hopping within the square 2D lattice and boosting the superconductivity. The reorientation of p-orbital following a directed local structure transformation provides an effective strategy to modify layered superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

High upper critical field (120 T) with small anisotropy of highly hydrogen-substituted SmFeAsO epitaxial film

The electronic transport properties of a highly hydrogen-substituted 1111-type SmFeAsO epitaxial film with high critical-temperature (Tc = 45 K) were investigated under high magnetic fields. By using a single-turn magnet generating up to 130 T, we clarified that the upper critical field (μ0Hc2) of SmFeAsO0.65H0.35 is 120 T at the nearly low-temperature limit of 2.2 K for μ0H || ab. The angular dependence of μ0Hc2 revealed that the anisotropic parameter (γ) around Tc is ~2, which is comparable with that of a practical candidate 122-type BaFe2As2 with lower Tc and much smaller than that of F-substituted SmFeAsO. The small γ mainly originates from the high hydrogen incorporation. The extremely high μ0Hc2 and small γ, together with the high Tc and high critical current density, suggest that SmFeAsO1-xHx has high potential for the superconducting electromagnets and cables.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

High entropy van der Waals materials (Review article)

By breaking the restrictions on traditional alloying strategy, the high entropy concept has promoted the exploration of the central area of phase space, thus broadening the horizon of alloy exploitation. This review highlights the marriage of the high entropy concept and van der Waals systems to form a new family of materials category, namely the high entropy van der Waals materials (HEX, HE = high entropy, X= anion clusters) and describe the current issues and next challenges. The design strategy for HEX has integrated the local feature (e.g., composition, spin, and valence states) of structural units in high entropy materials and the holistic degrees of freedom (e.g., stacking, twisting, and intercalating species) in van der Waals materials, and has been successfully employed for the discovery of high entropy dichalcogenides, phosphorus tri-chalcogenides, halogens, and MXene. The rich combination and random distribution of the multiple metallic constituents on the nearly-regular 2D lattice give rise to a flexible platform to study the correlation features behind a range of selected physical properties, e.g., superconductivity, magnetism, and metal-insulator transition. The deliberate design of structural units and their stacking configuration can also create novel catalysts to enhance their performance in a bunch of chemical reactions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Insulator-metal-superconductor transition in medium-entropy van der Waals compound MEPSe3 (ME=Fe, Mn, Cd, and In) under high pressures

MPX3 (M=metals, X=S or Se) represents a large family of van der Waals (vdW) materials featuring with P-P dimers of ~2.3 Å separation. Its electrical transport property and structure can hardly be tuned by the intentional chemical doping and ionic intercalation. Here, we employ an entropy-enhancement strategy to successfully obtain a series of medium-entropy compounds MEPSe3 (ME=Fe, Mn, Cd and In), in which the electrical and magnetic properties changed simultaneously. Lone-pair electrons of P emerge due to the dissociation of the dimers as evidenced by a 35% elongation in the P-P interatomic distance. The band gap widens from 0.1 eV to 0.7 eV by this dissociation. Under external physical pressure up to ~50 GPa, a giant collapse of up to 15% in the c-axis happens, which is in contrast to the in-plane shrinkage of their counterparts Fe/MnPSe3. It leads to the recombination of P3- with lone pair electrons into a P-P dimer and the smallest bulk modulus of 28 GPa in MPX3. The MEPSe3 transits from a spin-glass insulator to metal, and to superconductor, which is rarely observed in the MPX3. Our findings highlight the P-P dimer as an indicator to probe diverse electronic structure and the effectiveness of entropy-enhancement in materials science.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Unconventional Excitonic States with Phonon Sidebands in Layered Silicon Diphosphide

Many-body interactions between quasiparticles (electrons, excitons, and phonons) have led to the emergence of new complex correlated states and are at the core of condensed matter physics and material science. In low-dimensional materials, unique electronic properties for these correlated states could significantly affect their optical properties. Herein, combining photoluminescence, optical reflection measurements and theoretical calculations, we demonstrate an unconventional excitonic state and its bound phonon sideband in layered silicon diphosphide (SiP$_2$), in which the bound electron-hole pair is composed of electrons confined within one-dimensional phosphorus$-$phosphorus chains and holes extended in two-dimensional SiP$_2$ layers. The excitonic state and the emergent phonon sideband show linear dichroism and large energy redshifts with increasing temperature. Within the $GW$ plus Bethe$-$Salpeter equation calculations and solving the generalized Holstein model non-perturbatively, we confirm that the observed sideband feature results from the correlated interaction between excitons and optical phonons. Such a layered material provides a new platform to study excitonic physics and many-particle effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Fully automated spectroscopic ellipsometry analyses of crystalline-phase semiconductors based on a new algorithm

One significant drawback of a spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) technique is its time-consuming and often complicated analysis procedure necessary to assess the optical functions of thin-film and bulk samples. Here, to solve this inherent problem of a traditional SE method, we present a new general way that allows full automation of SE analyses for crystalline-phase semiconductors exhibiting complex absorption features. In particular, we have modified a scheme established in our previous study, which performs a non-linear SE fitting analysis only in a low energy region at the beginning, while the analyzed energy region is gradually expanded toward higher energy by incorporating addition optical transition peaks. In this study, we have further developed a unique analyzing-energy search algorithm, in which a proper analyzing-energy region is determined to incorporate the feature of a new transition peak. In the developed method, a drastic improvement over the previous simple approach has been confirmed for expressing complex dielectric functions consisting of sharp and broad absorption peaks. The proposed method (Delta M method) has been applied successfully to analyze perovskite-based crystalline samples, including hybrid perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) and chalcogenide perovskites (SrHfS3 and BaZrS3). In the automated analyses of these semiconductors, 7-8 transition peaks are introduced automatically to describe sample dielectric functions, while structural parameters, such as thin-film and roughness thicknesses, are also determined simultaneously. The established method can drastically reduce an analysis time to a level that allows the automatic inspection of daily varying material optical properties and expands the application area of spectroscopic ellipsometry considerably.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Evolution of Superatomic-Charge-density-wave and Superconductivity under Pressure in AuTe$_2$Se$_{4/3}$

Superatomic crystal is a class of hierarchical materials composed of atomically precise clusters assembled via van der Waals or covalent-like interactions. AuTe$_2$Se$_{4/3}$, an all-inorganic superatomic superconductor exhibiting superatomic-charge-density-wave (S-CDW), provides a first platform to study the response of their collectively quantum phenomenon to the external pressure in superatomic crystals. We reveal a competition between S-CDW and superconductivity using cutting-edge measurements on thin flakes at low pressures. Prominently, the pressure modulation of S-CDW ordering is 1$\sim$2 order of magnitudes (0.1 GPa) lower than that of conventional atomic superconductors. As pressure increases to 2.5 GPa, the $T_{\mathrm{CDW}}$ is suppressed and the superconducting transition temperature ($T_{\mathrm{c}}$) is firstly enhanced, and reaches the maximum then quenches with increasing pressure. Above 7.3 GPa, a second superconducting phase emerges, and then a three-fold enhancement in the transition temperature ($T_{\mathrm{c}}$) happens. Analyses of the crystal structure and theoretical calculations suggest a pressure-mediated switch of the conduction channel from the $a$- to the $b$-axis occur, followed by a dimensional crossover of conductivity and the Fermi surface from 2D to 3D.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Caging-Pnictogen-Induced Superconductivity in Skutterudites IrX3 (X = As, P)

Here we report on a new kind of compound, XδIr4X12-δ (X = P, As), the first hole-doped skutterudites superconductor. We provide atomic resolution images of the caging As atoms using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). By inserting As atoms into the caged structure under a high pressure, superconductivity emerges with a maximum transition temperature (Tc) of 4.4 K (4.8 K) in IrAs3 (IrP3). In contrast to all of the electron-doped skutterudites, the electronic states around the Fermi level in XδIr4X12-δ are dominated by the caged X atom, which can be described by a simple body-centered tight-binding model, implying a distinct paring mechanism. Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal an intimate relationship between the pressure-dependent local-phonon mode and the enhancement of Tc. The discovery of XδIr4X12-δ provides an arena to investigate the uncharted territory of hole-doped skutterudites, and the method proposed here represents a new strategy of carrier doping in caged structures, without introducing extra elements.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Pressure-induced reemergence of superconductivity in BaIr2Ge7 and Ba3Ir4Ge16 with cage structures

The clathrate-like or caged compounds have attracted continuing interest due to their structural flexibility as well as fertile physical properties. Here we report a pressure-induced reemergence of superconductivity in BaIr2Ge7 and Ba3Ir4Ge16, two new caged superconductors with two-dimensional building blocks of cage structures. After suppressing the ambient-pressure superconducting (SC-I) state, a new superconducting (SC-II) state emerges unexpectedly, with Tc increased to a maximum of 4.4 K and 4.0 K for BaIr2Ge7 and Ba3Ir4Ge16, respectively. Combined with high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman measurements, we propose that the reemergence of superconductivity in the caged superconductors can be ascribed to a pressure-induced phonon softening linked to the cage shrink.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Fishtail effect and the vortex phase diagram of high-entropy alloy superconductor

High-entropy alloy (HEA) is an attracting topic raising in materials science and condensed matter physics. Although several types of superconductors have been discovered in HEAs, the critical currents (Jc) of HEA superconductors remain uncharacterized up to now. Here, we systematically study the current-carrying ability of (TaNb)0.7(HfZrTi)0.5 HEA at various heat treatment conditions. We obtained the high upper critical field and large current carrying ability, which point to optimistic applications. Interestingly, the fishtail or second peak effect was found for the first time in HEA superconductors, and the position of the vortex pinning force shows a maximum at 0.72 of the reduced field, which is quite different from the cuprates and iron-based high-Tc superconductors. Together with the resistive measurements, the vortex phase diagram is obtained for HEA superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Superconductivity in the layered cage compound Ba3Rh4Ge16

We report the synthesis and superconducting properties of a layered cage compound Ba3Rh4Ge16. Similar to Ba3Ir4Ge16, the compound is composed of 2D networks of cage units, formed by noncubic Rh-Ge building blocks, in marked contrast to the reported rattling compounds. The electrical resistivity, magnetization, specific heat capacity, and muSR measurements unveiled moderately coupled s-wave superconductivity with a critical temperature Tc = 7.0 K, the upper critical field ~ 2.5 T, the electron-phonon coupling strength ~ 0.80, and the Ginzburg-Landau parameter ~ 7.89. The mass reduction by the substitution of Ir by Rh is believed to be responsible for the enhancement of Tc and coupling between the cage and guest atoms. Our results highlight the importance of the atomic weight of the framework in cage compounds in controlling the electron-phonon coupling strength and Tc.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Electronic correlation strength of inorganic electrides from first principles

We present a systematic study clarifying an electronic correlation trend of electrides from first principles. By using the maximally localized Wannier function and the constrained random phase approximation, we calculated the electronic correlation strength $(U-U_{nn})/|t|$ of 19 inorganic electrides, where $U$, $U_{nn}$, and $t$ are the effective onsite Coulomb repulsion, nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion, and the nearest-neighbor transfer integrals, respectively. The electronic correlation was found to be highly correlated with the dimensionality of the Wannier-function network of anionic electrons in electrides; the correlation strength varies in the order 0D $>>$ 1D $>$ 2D $\sim$ 3D, showing good correspondence with experimental trends, and exceeds 10 (a measure for the emergence of exotic properties) in all the 0D systems and some of the 1D materials. We also found that the electronic correlation depends on the cation species surrounding the anionic electrons; in the 1D electrides, the electronic correlation becomes stronger for cationic walls consisting of $\mathrm{Ca^{2+}}$, $\mathrm{Sr^{2+}}$, and $\mathrm{Ba^{2+}}$ in this order, and the correlation strength exceeds 10 for $\mathrm{Ba_5As_3}$. The theoretical results indicate that 0- and 1-dimensional electrides will be new research targets for studies on strongly correlated electron systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗