Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Hiroshi Shimahara

Publications and source records attributed to Hiroshi Shimahara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

d'Q = TdS for Infinitesimal Irreversible Processes: On the Differential Form of the Clausius Inequality

Conventionally, the differential form of the Clausius inequality is adopted for infinitesimal irreversible processes. We show that the correct first-order form for infinitesimal quasi-static irreversible processes is the equality d'Q=TdS rather than d'Q < TdS. This provides a purely thermodynamic proof that internal entropy production is second-order or higher and confirms that entropy remains a well-defined state quantity even when quasi-static irreversible processes are included, without resorting to the Boltzmann relation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Magnetic structures of electron systems on the extended spatially completely anisotropic triangular lattice near quantum critical points

We examine magnetic structures of electron systems on an extended triangular lattice that consists of two types of bond triangles with electron transfer energies t_l and t'_l (l = 1, 2, and 3), respectively. We examine the ground state in the mean-field theory when t_1 = t'_1, focusing on collinear states with two sublattices. It is shown that when the imbalance of the spatial anisotropies of the two triangles is large, up-up-down-down (uudd) phases are stable, and the most likely ground states of the lambda-(BETS)_2FeCl_4 system are the Neel state with the modulation vector (π/c,π/a) and a uudd state, where c = a_1 = a'_1 and a = (a_2+a'_2)/2, with a_1, a_1', a_2, and a_2' being the lattice constants of the bonds with t_1, t'_1, t_2, and t'_2, respectively. These results are consistent with those from the classical spin system. In addition, this study reveals behaviors near the quantum critical point, which cannot be reproduced in the localized spin model. As the imbalance of the spatial anisotropies increases, the U_c of the Neel state increases, and that of the uudd state decreases. In the phase diagrams containing areas of the paramagnetic state, the Neel state with (π/c,π/a), and a uudd state, their boundaries terminate at a triple point, near which all the transitions are of the first order. The phase boundary between the antiferromagnetic phases does not depend on U, and the transition is of the first order everywhere on the boundary. By contrast, the transitions from the two antiferromagnetic phases to the paramagnetic phase are of the second order, unless the system is close to the triple point.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Stability of Mixed-Symmetry Superconducting States with Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry against Lattice Distortions

We examine the stability of mixed-symmetry superconducting states with broken time-reversal symmetry in spatial-symmetry-broken systems, including chiral states, on the basis of the free-energy functional derived in the weak-coupling theory. We consider a generic a_1 + i a_2 wave state, with a_1 and a_2 being different symmetry indices such as (a_1,a_2) = (d,s), (p_x,p_y), and (d,d').The time-reversal symmetry of the mixed-symmetry state with the a_1- and a_2-wave components is broken when the phases of these components differ, and such a state is called the time-reversal-symmetry breaking (TRSB) state. However, their phases are equated by Cooper-pair scattering between these components if it occurs; i.e., when the off-diagonal elements S_{a_1 a_2} = S_{a_2 a_1} of the scattering matrix are nonzero, they destabilize the TRSB state. Hence, it has often been believed that the TRSB state is stable only in systems with a spatial symmetry that guarantees S_{a_1 a_2}=0. We note that, contrary to this belief, the TRSB state can remain stable in systems without the spatial symmetry when the relative phase shifts so that S_{a_1 a_2} = 0 is restored, which results in a distorted TRSB (a_1 + a_2) + i a_2 wave state. Here, note that the restoration of S_{a_1 a_2} = 0 does not imply that the symmetry of the quasi-particle energy E_k is recovered. This study shows that such stabilization of the TRSB state occurs when the distortion is sufficiently small and Δ_{a_1} Δ_{a_2} is sufficiently large, where Δ_a is the amplitude of the a-wave component in the TRSB state in the absence of the distortion. We clarify the manner in which the shift in the relative phase eliminates S_{a_1 a_2} and prove that such a state yields a free-energy minimum. We also propose a formula for the upper bound of the degree of lattice distortion, below which the TRSB state can be stable.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov State in Perpendicular Magnetic Fields in Strongly Pauli-Limited Quasi-Two-Dimensional Superconductors

We examine the Fermi-surface effect called the nesting effect for the FFLO state in strongly Pauli-limited Q2D superconductors, focusing on the effect of 3D factors, such as interlayer electron transfer, interlayer pairing, and off-plane magnetic fields including those perpendicular to the most conductive layers. We examine the systems with a large Maki parameter so that the orbital pair-breaking effect is negligible, except for the locking of the direction of the FFLO vector q in the field direction.It is known that the nesting effect for the FFLO state can be strong in QLD systems in which the orbital pair-breaking effect is suppressed by applying the mag. field parallel to the layers. Hence, it has sometimes been suggested that the nesting effect may hardly enhance the stability of the FFLO state for perpendicular fields. We illustrate that, contrary to this view, the nesting effect can strongly stabilize the FFLO state for perpendicular fields as well as for parallel fields when tz is small so that the Fermi surfaces are open in the kz-direction, where tz denotes the interlayer transfer energy. In particular, the nesting effect in perpendicular fields can be strong in interlayer states. For example, in systems with cylindrical Fermi surfaces warped by tz /= 0, interlayer states with Dlt_k prop sin k_z exhibit mu_e Hc=1.65 Dlt_a0 for perpendicular fields, which is much larger than typical values for parallel fields, such as mu_e Hc=Dlt_s0 of the s-wave state and mu_e Hc = 1.28 Delta_d0 of the d-wave state in cylindrical systems with tz=0. The present result could potentially provide a physical reason why the areas in the phase diagrams occupied by the high-field phases for the perpendicular and parallel fields are of the same order in CeCoIn5 and FeSe.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Vestigial Van Hove singularity and higher-temperature superconducting phase induced by perpendicular uniaxial pressures in quasi-two-dimensional superconductors

We examine quasi-two-dimensional superconductors near half-filling under uniaxial pressures perpendicular to conductive layers (hereafter called perpendicular pressures). It is a natural conjecture that the perpendicular pressure decreases Tc because it increases the interlayer electron hopping energy t_z, which weakens the logarithmic enhancement in the density of states due to the two-dimensional Van Hove singularity. It is shown that, contrary to this conjecture, the perpendicular pressure can significantly enhance Tc in systems off half-filling before it decreases Tc, and the strength of the enhancement significantly depends on the pairing symmetry. When the indices d, d', cz, and sz are defined for the basis functions cos k_x - cos k_y, sin k_x sin k_y, cos k_z, and sin k_z, respectively, it is shown that for s-, d-, cz-, and cz-d-wave pairing, Tc steeply increases with increasing t_z near a cusp at a certain value of t_z. On the other hand, for p-, cz-p-, sz-p-, and d'-wave pairing, Tc is almost unaffected by tz. For sz- and sz-d-wave pairing, Tc exhibits a broad and weak peak. The enhancement in Tc is the largest for this state and the second largest for the d-wave pairing and interlayer singlet (cz-wave) pairing. These results may explain recent observations in Sr2RuO4 under perpendicular pressures. A comparison between the theoretical and experimental results indicates that the p-, cz-p-, and sz-p-wave states, including chiral states, and the d'-wave state are the most likely candidates for the intrinsic 1.5-K phase, and the d-, cz-d-, and cz-wave states are the most likely candidates for the 3-K phase induced by the perpendicular pressure. The cz-p- and sz-p-wave states are interlayer triplet and interlayer singlet p-wave states with horizontal line nodes, respectively.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Stabilization of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov State by Tuning In-plane Magnetic-Field Direction: Application to a Quasi-One-Dimensional Organic Superconductor

The Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state in quasi-one-dimensional systems with warped Fermi surfaces is examined in strong parallel magnetic fields. It is shown that the state is extremely stable for field directions around nontrivial optimum directions, at which the upper critical field exhibits cusps, and that the stabilization is due to a Fermi-surface effect analogous to the nesting effect for the spin density wave and charge density wave. Interestingly, the behavior with cusps is analogous to that in a square lattice system in which the hole density is controlled. For the organic superconductor (TMTSF)_2ClO_4, when the hopping parameters obtained by previous authors based on X-ray crystallography results are assumed, the optimum directions are in quadrants consistent with the previous experimental observations. Furthermore, near this set of parameters, we also find sets of hopping parameters that more precisely reproduce the observed optimum in-plane field directions. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the FFLO state is realized in the organic superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Temperature Dependence of the Spin Susceptibility in Noncentrosymmetric Superconductors with Line Nodes

The spin susceptibility of noncentrosymmetric superconductors is studied when the gap function has line nodes. As examples, d-wave states, where the gap function has an additional odd-parity phase factor, are examined. The curve of the spin susceptibility $χ(T)$ is upward convex when all line nodes are parallel to the magnetic field, while it is downward convex in the other d-wave states and an s-wave state. For polycrystalline powder samples, the temperature dependences of $χ(T)$ are predicted by assuming three explicit conditions of the powder particles. The results are compared with the experimental data of the Knight shift observed in Li_2Pt_3B and Li_2Pd_3B.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Dimensional Crossover of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov State in Strongly Pauli-Limited Quasi-One-Dimensional Superconductors

The Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state is examined in quasi-one-dimensional s-wave and d-wave superconductors with particular attention paid to the effect of the Fermi-surface anisotropy. The upper critical field $H_{c2}(T)$ is found to exhibit a qualitatively different behavior depending on the ratio of the hopping energies $t_b/t_a$ and the direction of the FFLO modulation vector q, where $t_a$ and $t_b$ are the intra- and interchain hopping energies, respectively. In particular, when $t_b/t_a < 0.1$ and $\mathbf{q} \parallel \mathbf{a}$, we find a novel dimensional crossover of $H_{c2}(T)$ from one dimension to two dimensions, where a is the lattice vector of the most conductive chain. Just below the tricritical temperature $T^*$, the upper critical field $H_{c2}(T)$ increases steeply as in one-dimensional systems, but when the temperature decreases, the rate of increase in $H_{c2}(T)$ diminishes and a shoulder appears. Near $T = 0$, $H_{c2}(T)$ shows a behavior typical of the FFLO state in two-dimensional systems, i.e., an upturn with a finite field at $T = 0$. When the angle between $\mathbf{q}$ and $\mathbf{a}$ is large, the upper critical field curve is convex upward at low temperatures, as in three-dimensional systems, but the magnitude is much larger than that of a three-dimensional isotropic system. For $t_b/t_a > 0.15$, the upper critical fields exhibit a two-dimensional behavior, except for a slight shoulder in the range of $0.2 > t_b/t_a > 0.15$. The upper critical field is maximum for $\mathbf{q} \parallel \mathbf{a}$ both for s-wave and d-wave pairings, while it is only slightly larger than the Pauli paramagnetic limit for $\mathbf{q} \perp \mathbf{a}$. The relevance of the present results to the organic superconductor ${\rm (TMTSF)_2ClO_4}$ is discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Phase diagrams of noncentrosymmetric superconductors

Noncentrosymmetric superconductors with various types of pairing interactions are systematically examined with particular focus on phenomena that originate from the differences between Fermi surfaces split by a strong spin-orbit coupling. In particular, when the spin-orbit coupling increases and one of the split Fermi surfaces disappears, the phase diagram and the structure of the gap function change drastically. For example, we examine the conditions for the transition from full-gap states to line-node states (FLT), which may explain the differences in the experimental results between the noncentrosymmetric superconductors Li2Pd3B and Li2Pt3B discovered recently. The dominant pairing interactions and gap functions can be predicted to some extent by comparing the theoretical and experimental results for these compounds. For example, if the FLT occurs by replacing Pd with Pt, it is most likely that the superconductivity is mainly induced by charge-charge interactions, and if this is the case, the superconductivities in Li2Pd3B and Li2Pt3B are an s-wave nearly spin-triplet state and a d-wave state that has both spin-singlet and triplet components of comparable weights, respectively. Comparing the theoretical phase diagrams in simple models, it is found that the FLT occurs in a wider realistic parameter region for charge-charge interactions, i.e., where short-range Coulomb repulsion is strong and p-wave and d-wave interactions are attractive, while it occurs in narrower rather unrealistic parameter regions for interactions of magnetic origin. It is also found that d-wave spin-triplet pairing may occur, when pairing interactions are of magnetic origin and anisotropic in spin space.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Crossover from the vortex state to the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state in quasi-two-dimensional superconductors

We examine the coexistence of the vortex state and the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state in quasi-two-dimensional type-II superconductors and the crossover from the coexistence state to the pure FFLO state when the Maki parameter αincreases. The pure FFLO state, characterized by finite center-of-mass momenta q \ne 0 of Cooper pairs occurs in the two-dimensional limit, when the magnetic field is parallel to the conductive plane. The vectors q are determined from the Fermi-surface structure and pairing anisotropy, and become finite below a temperature T^*. In quasi-two-dimensions, because of the orbital pair-breaking effect, the coexistence state characterized by (n,q//) occurs, where n and q// denote the Landau level index of the vortex state and the wave number of the additional FFLO modulation along the magnetic field. We obtain the αdependence of the upper critical field by numerical calculations. The upper critical field exhibits a cascade curve in the H-T phase diagram. It is analytically shown that n diverges in the two-dimensional limit α\to \infty below T^*. In this limit, the upper critical field equation of the coexistence state is reduced to that of the FFLO state. A relation between n of the coexistence state and q_{\perp} of the pure FFLO state is obtained, where q_{\perp} denotes the component of q perpendicular to the magnetic field. It is found that the pure FFLO state is nothing but the vortex state with infinitely large n as is known in two-dimensional superconductors in a tilted magnetic field. The vortex state with large n can be regarded as the FFLO state with non-zero q_{\perp} in three dimensions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Antiferromagnetic superconductors with effective mass anisotropy in magnetic fields

We derive critical field H_c2 equations for antiferromagnetic \textit{s}-wave, d_{x^2-y^2}-wave, and d_{xy}-wave superconductors with effective mass anisotropy in three dimensions, where we take into account (i) the Jaccarino-Peter mechanism of magnetic-field-induced superconductivity (FISC) at high fields, (ii) an extended Jaccarino-Peter mechanism that reduces the Pauli paramagnetic pair-breaking effect at low fields where superconductivity and an antiferromagnetic long-range order with a canted spin structure coexist, and (iii) the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO or LOFF) state. As an example, experimental phase diagrams observed in organic superconductor kappa-(BETS)_2FeBr_4 are theoretically reproduced. In particular, the upper critical field of low-field superconductivity is well reproduced without any additional fitting parameter other than those determined from the critical field curves of the FISC at high fields. Therefore, the extended Jaccarino-Peter mechanism seems to occur actually in the present compound. It is predicted that the FFLO state does not occur in the FISC at high fields in contrast to the compound lambda-(BETS)_2FeCl_4, but it may occur in low-field superconductivity for s-wave and d_{x^2-y^2}-wave pairings. We also briefly discuss a possibility of compounds that exhibit unconventional behaviors of upper critical fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Interlayer spin-singlet pairing induced by magnetic interactions in an antiferromagnetic superconductor

It is shown that interlayer spin-singlet Cooper pairing is induced by magnetic interactions in a metallic antiferromagnet of stacked conductive layers in which each layer is ferromagnetically polarized and they order antiferromagnetically in stacking direction. As a result, the antiferromagnetic long-range order and superconductivity coexist at low temperatures. It is shown that T_AF > T_c except for in a very limited parameter region unless T_AF = 0, where T_AF and T_c denote the antiferromagnetic and superconducting transition temperatures, respectively. It is found that the exchange field caused by the spontaneous staggered magnetization does not affect superconductivity at all, even if it is very large. The resultant superconducting order parameter has a horizontal line node, and is isotropic in spin space in spite of the anisotropy of the background magnetic order. We discuss the possible relevance of the present mechanism to the antiferromagnetic heavy fermion superconductors UPd_2Al_3 and CePt_3Si.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Spin-Triplet Superconductivity Mediated by Phonons in Quasi-One-Dimensional Systems

We investigate the spin-triplet superconductivity mediated by phonons in quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) systems with open Fermi surfaces. We obtain the ground state phase diagrams. It is found that spin-triplet superconductivity occurs for weak screening and strong on-site Coulomb interaction, even in the absence of any additional nonphonon pairing interactions. We find that the nodeless spin-triplet state is more favorable than the spin-triplet state with line nodes, for the parameter values of the Q1D superconductors (TMTSF)_2X. We also find that Q1D open Fermi surface, which is the specific feature of this system, plays an essential role in the pairing symmetry. We discuss the compatibility of the present results with the experimental results in these compounds.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Reduction of Pauli paramagnetic pair-breaking effect in antiferromagnetic superconductors

Antiferromagnetic superconductors in a magnetic field are studied. We examine a mechanism which significantly reduces the Pauli paramagnetic pair-breaking effect. The mechanism is realized even in the presence of the orbital pair-breaking effect. We illustrate it using a three-dimensional model with an intercalated magnetic subsystem. The upper critical field is calculated for various parameters. It is shown that the upper critical field can reach several times the pure Pauli paramagnetic limit. The possible relevance to the large upper critical field observed in the heavy fermion antiferromagnetic superconductor CePt_3Si discovered recently is briefly discussed. We try to understand the large upper critical field in the compound CePt_3Si and field-induced superconductivity in the compound CePb_3 within a unified framework.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Effects of short-range correlations on the Coulomb screening and the pairing interactions in electron-phonon systems - triplet pairing mediated by phonons

Effects of short-range correlations on the Coulomb screening, the phonons, and the pairing interactions are examined in electron-phonon systems. First, we derive a model Hamiltonian of Coulomb interactions which includes both the long-range part v_q and the short-range part U. It is found from the expression of the dielectric function that the strong on-site correlations weaken the Coulomb screening. Secondly, we examine the screened phonons and the interaction mediated by phonons. In a consistent picture, we derive an expression of the effective interaction which includes (1) the screened Coulomb interactions, (2) the pairing interactions mediated by phonons, and (3) the effective interactions mediated by spin and charge fluctuations. It is rewritten in a form of a summation of (a) the effective interactions of the pure Hubbard model without the long-range Coulomb interactions, and (b) the phonon-mediated interactions plus screened Coulomb interactions with corrections due to both U and v_q. Thirdly, we derive an effective Hamiltonian analogous to the BCS Hamiltonian. Fourthly, for some typical values of parameters, we obtain the ground state phase diagrams. It is found that spin-triplet superconductivity mediated by phonons occurs when the short-range electron correlations are sufficiently strong, and the Coulomb screening is sufficiently weak. We estimate the orders of the transition temperatures when the triplet superconductivity occurs. The obtained values are realistic for existing candidates of the triplet superconductors as the order of the magnitudes. The possible relevance of the phonon-mediated interactions to the heavy fermion superconductor UPt_3 and the layered superconductors such (TMTSF)_2X and Sr_2RuO_4 are briefly discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Phase Fluctuations and Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition in Two-Dimensional Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov Superconductors

Effect of the phase fluctuations of the order parameter on the stability of the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states are examined in exactly two-dimensional (2D) type-II superconductors with cylindrically symmetric Fermi surface on the basis of a generalized Ginzburg-Landau theory. It is found that for the FFLO states with oscillations in a single direction, not only the long-range order but also quasi-long-range order (QLRO), which is characterized by a power law decay of the order parameter correlation function, is suppressed by the phase fluctuations at any finite temperatures. On the other hand, for the FFLO states with order parameter structures such as triangular and square lattices, it is shown that the QLRO is possible as the uniform BCS state. Systems with anisotropy in the Fermi surface and pairing are also discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Internal Transition of Superconducting State by Impurity Doping with a Jump of Isotope-effect Coefficient in Multiband Superconductors

The impurity effects on the transition temperature Tc and the isotope effect are examined in multiband superconductors with magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities, where the effect of Coulomb repulsion is considered. It is shown that an internal transition of the superconducting state is induced by impurity doping, and that the transition is accompanied by a jump of the isotope-effect coefficient alpha. In particular, the transition is illustrated in a system with two electron bands. In some special cases, extended Abrikosov and Gor'kov (AG) equations for Tc and the expressions of the isotope-effect coefficient alpha are obtained. Possible relevance of the present mechanism to the experimental results of Sr2RuO4 is discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Isotope effect in superconductors with coexisting interactions of phonon and nonphonon mechanisms

We examine the isotope effect of superconductivity in systems with coexisting interactions of phonon and nonphonon mechanisms in addition to the direct Coulomb interaction. The interaction mediated by the spin fluctuations is discussed as an example of the nonphonon interaction. Extended formulas for the transition temperature Tc and the isotope-effect coefficient alpha are derived for cases (a) omega_np < omega_D and (b) omega_np > omega_D, where omega_np is an effective cutoff frequency of the nonphonon interaction that corresponds to the Debye frequency omega_D in the phonon interaction. In case (a), it is found that the nonphonon interaction does not change the condition for the inverse isotope effect, i.e., mu^* > lambda_ph/2, but it modifies the magnitude of alpha markedly. In particular, it is found that a giant isotope shift occurs when the phonon and nonphonon interactions cancel each other largely. For instance, strong critical spin fluctuations may give rise to the giant isotope effect. In case (b), it is found that the inverse isotope effect occurs only when the nonphonon interaction and the repulsive Coulomb interaction, in total effect, work as repulsive interactions against the superconductivity. We discuss the relevance of the present result to some organic superconductors, such as kappa-(ET)2Cu(NCS)2 and Sr2RuO4 superconductors, in which inverse isotope effects have been observed, and briefly to high-Tc cuprates, in which giant isotope effects have been observed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗