arXiv subjects

M. Takahashi

Publications and source records attributed to M. Takahashi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Brittle-Plastic Transition in Quartz-Albite Mixtures: New Insights From Shear Deformation Experiments at Mid-to-Lower Crustal Depth Conditions

Crustal strength is often characterized using a strength-depth profile where laboratory-derived friction and flow laws are connected at depth (i.e., the so-called Christmas Tree diagram). Large, destructive earthquakes frequently nucleate within the transition zone from a frictional-to-viscous deformation regime, which represents the strongest part of the crust. However, microscale deformation mechanisms controlling bulk frictional-to-viscous transitional behavior remain unclear. To investigate the deformation mechanisms, we conducted shear experiments on room-dry, powdered quartz-albite mixtures under upper- to mid-crustal pressure-temperature conditions using a Griggs-type deformation apparatus. We simulated depth conditions in the range 7-30 km, by varying temperatures and confining pressures (210-900 C and 185-870 MPa, respectively, by assuming 30 C/km and 2,700 kg/m3). To assess the rate dependence and stability of shear deformation, we sequentially stepped shear strain rates between 10^-3/s and 10^-4/s. At shallower depth conditions, friction coefficients follow Byerlee's law, while at greater depth conditions they deviate from it and strain weakening is observed. Post-mortem microstructures indicate changing deformation mechanisms with increasing simulated depths. The samples deformed at shallower depth conditions (<18 km) show a predominance of cataclastic grain comminution. At greater depth conditions (>24 km), nano-grains are observed, as well as polygonal quartz grains at the greatest depth condition (30 km). These results indicate that the controlling deformation mechanisms at the frictional-viscous transition zone are grain boundary sliding and dynamic recrystallization. We conclude that nano-scale deformation mechanisms govern the frictional-viscous transitional deformation in the upper crust, and propose their importance for understanding seismic rupture processes there.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Coupled structural and electronic evolution under pressure in CuIr2Se4, CuRh2S4, and CuRh2Se4

Spinel chalcogenides provide a platform for investigating the interplay among metallic, superconducting, and pressure-induced insulating states. Here, we combine synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and electrical-resistivity measurements to investigate the pressure evolution of CuIr2Se4, CuRh2S4, and CuRh2Se4 over pressure ranges extending beyond those previously explored. High-pressure diffraction reveals closely related monoclinic supercells in all three compounds. For CuIr2Se4 and CuRh2S4, constrained profile fits based on structural models relaxed using density functional theory are compatible with Phase-IV-type bond-disproportionated structures, whereas the data for CuRh2Se4 establish a compatible monoclinic unit cell without resolving its atomic-scale ordering pattern. Insulating-like transport develops abruptly over a narrow pressure range in CuIr2Se4 but more gradually over broader pressure ranges in the Rh-based compounds, in close correspondence with their respective structural transformations. We also establish previously unreported bulk superconductivity in CuIr2Se4 at ambient pressure: zero resistance is attained at 0.29 K, and the accompanying ac diamagnetic response is consistent with nearly complete superconducting shielding. These results establish a close relationship between the formation of the high-pressure monoclinic phases and the evolution toward insulating transport, and demonstrate that transition-metal and chalcogen substitutions tune the characteristic pressure scales and the competition with superconductivity within a closely related structural framework.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Incommensurate magnetic order drives singular angular magnetoresistance in a Weyl semimetal

We demonstrate that a multi-$\mathbf{k}$ incommensurate magnetic state in the Weyl semimetal CeAlGe gives rise to singular angular magnetoresistance (SAMR), an electrical-transport signature that detects the magnetic-field direction with exceptional precision. In contrast, the sister compound CeAlSi shows neither multi-$\mathbf{k}$ order nor SAMR. Both phenomena emerge upon $\sim57\%$ Ge substitution in CeAlSi$_{1-x}$Ge$_x$ and coincide with electronic-structure changes that soften the single-ion in-plane anisotropy and enhance Weyl-mediated magnetic interactions. These results reveal a direct connection between band topology, electronic transport, and collective magnetism in Weyl semimetals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

New limit on the μ+->e+γdecay with the MEG II experiment

This letter reports the result of the search for the decay μ+->e+γundertaken at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland with the MEG II experiment using the data collected in the 2021- 2022 physics runs. The sensitivity of this search is 2.2x10-13, a factor of 2.4 better than that of the full MEG dataset and obtained in a data taking period of about one fourth that of MEG, thanks to the superior performances of the new detector. The result is consistent with the expected background, yielding an upper limit on the branching ratio of B(μ+->e+γ)<1.5 x 10-13 (90 % C.L.). Additional improvements are expected with the data collected during the years 2023-2024. The data-taking will continue in the coming years.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Development and Quality Control of PMT Modules for the Large-Sized Telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

The camera of the Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) consists of 1855 pixels that are grouped into 265 high-performance photomultiplier tube (PMT) modules. Each module comprises a seven-light-guide plate, seven PMT units, a slow control board, and a readout board with a trigger board. %In this paper we describe The requirements for the PMT modules include various aspects, such as photon detection efficiency, dynamic range, buffer depth, and test pulse functionality. We have developed a high-performance PMT module that fulfills all these requirements. Mass-production and quality control (QC) of modules for all four LSTs of the northern CTAO have been completed. Here we report on the technical details of each element of the module and its performance, together with the methods and results of QC measurements.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

Spin dynamics of a quasi-one-dimensional electron in the quantum limit

We study electron spin dynamics whose movement is restricted to the lowest one dimensional subband channel ($G \le 2e^2/h $), through nuclear spin relaxation rate measurement ($1/T_1$). We observe an unusual double-peak structure in the $1/T_1$ profile below the lowest subband level, where the up and down spin edge channel is still largely overlap. This profile significantly deviates from the behavior predicted by a non-interacting electron model, in which the only source of relaxation is through thermal fluctuations near the Fermi level. Our experimental results, supported by theoretical calculations, suggest that enhanced electron-electron interactions at the center of a quantum point contact are the likely origin of the observed double-peak structures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Search for the X17 particle in $^{7}\mathrm{Li}(\mathrm{p},\mathrm{e}^+ \mathrm{e}^{-}) ^{8}\mathrm{Be}$ processes with the MEG II detector

The observation of a resonance structure in the opening angle of the electron-positron pairs in the $^{7}$Li(p,\ee) $^{8}$Be reaction was claimed and interpreted as the production and subsequent decay of a hypothetical particle (X17). Similar excesses, consistent with this particle, were later observed in processes involving $^{4}$He and $^{12}$C nuclei with the same experimental technique. The MEG II apparatus at PSI, designed to search for the $μ^+ \rightarrow \mathrm{e}^+ γ$ decay, can be exploited to investigate the existence of this particle and study its nature. Protons from a Cockroft-Walton accelerator, with an energy up to 1.1 MeV, were delivered on a dedicated Li-based target. The $γ$ and the e$^{+}$e$^{-}$ pair emerging from the $^8\mathrm{Be}^*$ transitions were studied with calorimeters and a spectrometer, featuring a broader angular acceptance than previous experiments. We present in this paper the analysis of a four-week data-taking in 2023 with a beam energy of 1080 keV, resulting in the excitation of two different resonances with Q-value \SI{17.6}{\mega\electronvolt} and \SI{18.1}{\mega\electronvolt}. No significant signal was found, and limits at \SI{90}{\percent} C.L. on the branching ratios (relative to the $γ$ emission) of the two resonances to X17 were set, $R_{17.6} < 1.8 \times 10^{-6} $ and $R_{18.1} < 1.2 \times 10^{-5} $.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

Singularities of helicoidal surfaces of frontals in the Euclidean space

We investigate helicoidal (screw) surfaces generated not only by regular curves but also by curves with singular points. For curves with singular points, it is useful to use frontals in the Euclidean plane. The helicoidal surface of a frontal can naturally be considered as a generalised framed base surface. Moreover, we show that it is also a framed base surface under a mild condition. We give basic invariants and curvatures for helicoidal surfaces of frontals by using the curvatures of Legendre curves. Moreover, we also give criteria for singularities of helicoidal surfaces.

math.DG↗

arXiv2024

Operation and performance of MEG II detector

The MEG II experiment, located at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Switzerland, is the successor to the MEG experiment, which completed data taking in 2013. MEG II started fully operational data taking in 2021, with the goal of improving the sensitivity of the mu+ -> e+ gamma decay down to 6e-14 almost an order of magnitude better than the current limit. In this paper, we describe the operation and performance of the experiment and give a new estimate of its sensitivity versus data acquisition time.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

A search for $μ^+\to e^+γ$ with the first dataset of the MEG II experiment

The MEG II experiment, based at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland, reports the result of a search for the decay $μ^+\to e^+γ$ from data taken in the first physics run in 2021. No excess of events over the expected background is observed, yielding an upper limit on the branching ratio of B($μ^+\to e^+γ$) < $7.5 \times 10^{-13}$ (90% C.L.). The combination of this result and the limit obtained by MEG gives B($μ^+\to e^+γ$) < $3.1 \times 10^{-13}$ (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date. A ten-fold larger sample of data is being collected during the years 2022-2023, and data-taking will continue in the coming years.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Measured and projected beam backgrounds in the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider

The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider aims to collect an unprecedented data set of $50~{\rm ab}^{-1}$ to study $CP$-violation in the $B$-meson system and to search for Physics beyond the Standard Model. SuperKEKB is already the world's highest-luminosity collider. In order to collect the planned data set within approximately one decade, the target is to reach a peak luminosity of $\rm 6 \times 10^{35}~cm^{-2}s^{-1}$ by further increasing the beam currents and reducing the beam size at the interaction point by squeezing the betatron function down to $β^{*}_{\rm y}=\rm 0.3~mm$. To ensure detector longevity and maintain good reconstruction performance, beam backgrounds must remain well controlled. We report on current background rates in Belle II and compare these against simulation. We find that a number of recent refinements have significantly improved the background simulation accuracy. Finally, we estimate the safety margins going forward. We predict that backgrounds should remain high but acceptable until a luminosity of at least $\rm 2.8 \times 10^{35}~cm^{-2}s^{-1}$ is reached for $β^{*}_{\rm y}=\rm 0.6~mm$. At this point, the most vulnerable Belle II detectors, the Time-of-Propagation (TOP) particle identification system and the Central Drift Chamber (CDC), have predicted background hit rates from single-beam and luminosity backgrounds that add up to approximately half of the maximum acceptable rates.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Low-energy quadrupole collectivity of Sn nuclei in self-consistent calculations with a semi-realistic interaction

Quadrupole collectivity of the lowest-lying states, focusing on $E_x(2^+_1)$ and $B(E2;0^+_1\to 2^+_1)$, have been investigated for the $N=50-82$ Sn nuclei by applying the self-consistent approaches with the semi-realistic interaction M3Y-P6. Both $E_x(2^+_1)$ and $B(E2;0^+_1\to 2^+_1)$ are well reproduced by the spherical Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov (HFB) plus quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) calculations in $N\geq 64$, without adjustable parameters. The measured $B(E2)$ values in the neutron-deficient Sn nuclei cast a puzzle. In $54\leq N\leq 62$, the spherical HFB\,+\,QRPA calculations give too strong $B(E2)$, opposite to the shell-model predictions within the one major shell. Via the constrained-HFB (CHFB) calculations, it is found that the neutron-deficient Sn nuclei are soft against the quadrupole deformation, accounting for the limited applicability of the HFB\,+\,QRPA approach. In particular, the potential energy curves (PECs) are almost flat in the range of $|q_0|\lesssim 200\,\mathrm{fm}^2$ in $^{106-110}$Sn. We confirm that the near degeneracy of $n0g_{7/2}$ and $n1d_{5/2}$ triggers weak quadrupole deformation and its balance with the pairing makes PECs flat, which is qualitatively consistent with a recent shell model result in an extended model space, by the calculations shifting the single-particle energy spacing and the pairing strength. These conclusions are supported by the proton-to-neutron ratios of the transition matrix elements and the reference values of $B(E2)$ with the angular-momentum projection on top of the CHFB solutions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2021

Commissioning of the camera of the first Large Size Telescope of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The first Large Size Telescope (LST-1) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array has been operational since October 2018 at La Palma, Spain. We report on the results obtained during the camera commissioning. The noise level of the readout is determined as a 0.2 p.e. level. The gain of PMTs are well equalized within 2\% variation, using the calibration flash system. The effect of the night sky background on the signal readout noise as well as the PMT gain estimation are also well evaluated. Trigger thresholds are optimized for the lowest possible gamma-ray energy threshold and the trigger distribution synchronization has been achieved within 1~ns precision. Automatic rate control realizes the stable observation with 1.5\% rate variation over 3 hours. The performance of the novel DAQ system demonstrates a less than 10\% dead time for 15 kHz trigger rate even with sophisticated online data correction.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Search for a Variation of the Fine Structure around the Supermassive Black Hole in Our Galactic Center

Searching for space-time variations of the constants of Nature is a promising way to search for new physics beyond General Relativity and the standard model motivated by unification theories and models of dark matter and dark energy. We propose a new way to search for a variation of the fine-structure constant using measurements of late-type evolved giant stars from the S-star cluster orbiting the supermassive black hole in our Galactic Center. A measurement of the difference between distinct absorption lines (with different sensitivity to the fine structure constant) from a star leads to a direct estimate of a variation of the fine structure constant between the star's location and Earth. Using spectroscopic measurements of 5 stars, we obtain a constraint on the relative variation of the fine structure constant below $10^{-5}$. This is the first time a varying constant of Nature is searched for around a black hole and in a high gravitational potential. This analysis shows new ways the monitoring of stars in the Galactic Center can be used to probe fundamental physics.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Probing strain modulation in a gate-defined one dimensional electron system

Gate patterning on semiconductors is routinely used to electrostatically restrict electron movement into reduced dimensions. At cryogenic temperatures, where most studies are carried out, differential thermal contraction between the patterned gate and the semiconductor often lead to an appreciable strain modulation. The impact of such modulated strain to the conductive channel buried in a semiconductor has long been recognized, but measuring its magnitude and variation is rather challenging. Here we present a way to measure that modulation in a gate-defined GaAs-based one-dimensional channel by applying resistively-detected NMR (RDNMR) with in-situ electrons coupled to quadrupole nuclei. The detected strain magnitude, deduced from the quadrupole-split resonance, varies spatially on the order of $10^{-4}$, which is consistent with the predicted variation based on an elastic strain model. We estimate the initial lateral strain $ε_{xx}$ developed at the interface to be about $3.5 \times 10^{-3}$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Unresolved Gamma-Ray Sky through its Angular Power Spectrum

The gamma-ray sky has been observed with unprecedented accuracy in the last decade by the Fermi large area telescope (LAT), allowing us to resolve and understand the high-energy Universe. The nature of the remaining unresolved emission (unresolved gamma-ray background, UGRB) below the LAT source detection threshold can be uncovered by characterizing the amplitude and angular scale of the UGRB fluctuation field. This work presents a measurement of the UGRB autocorrelation angular power spectrum based on eight years of Fermi LAT Pass 8 data products. The analysis is designed to be robust against contamination from resolved sources and noise systematics. The sensitivity to subthreshold sources is greatly enhanced with respect to previous measurements. We find evidence (with $\sim$3.7$σ$ significance) that the scenario in which two classes of sources contribute to the UGRB signal is favored over a single class. A double power law with exponential cutoff can explain the anisotropy energy spectrum well, with photon indices of the two populations being 2.55 $\pm$ 0.23 and 1.86 $\pm$ 0.15.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

A Technique for Estimating the Absolute Gain of a Photomultiplier Tube

Detection of low-intensity light relies on the conversion of photons to photoelectrons, which are then multiplied and detected as an electrical signal. To measure the actual intensity of the light, one must know the factor by which the photoelectrons have been multiplied. To obtain this amplification factor, we have developed a procedure for estimating precisely the signal caused by a single photoelectron. The method utilizes the fact that the photoelectrons conform to a Poisson distribution. The average signal produced by a single photoelectron can then be estimated from the number of noise events, without requiring analysis of the distribution of the signal produced by a single photoelectron. The signal produced by one or more photoelectrons can be estimated experimentally without any assumptions. This technique, and an example of the analysis of a signal from a photomultiplier tube, are described in this study.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Scaling of Memories and Crossover in Glassy Magnets

Glassiness is ubiquitous and diverse in characteristics in nature. Understanding their differences and classification remains a major scientific challenge. Here, we show that scaling of magnetic memories with time can be used to classify magnetic glassy materials into two distinct classes. The systems studied are high-temperature superconductor-related materials, spin-orbit Mott insulators, frustrated magnets, and dilute magnetic alloys. Our bulk magnetization measurements reveal that most densely populated magnets exhibit similar memory behavior characterized by a relaxation exponent of 1-n ~ 0.6(1). This exponent is different from 1-n ~ 1/3 of dilute magnetic alloys that was ascribed to their hierarchical and fractal energy landscape and is also different from 1-n=1 of the conventional Debye relaxation expected for a spin solid, a state with long range order. Furthermore, our systematic study on dilute magnetic alloys with varying magnetic concentration exhibits crossovers among the two glassy states and spin solid.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗