arXiv subjects

Satoru Nakatsuji

Publications and source records attributed to Satoru Nakatsuji.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Observation of chiral domain walls in an octupole-ordered antiferromagnet

Spin chirality in antiferromagnets offers new opportunities for spintronics. The kagome antiferromagnet Mn3Sn is a paradigmatic material in which the antiferromagnetic order parameter can be detected and controlled by electrical means. However, direct investigation of the magnetic texture of Mn3Sn has been challenging because of the tiny moment hosted in its magnetic octupole, hindering further clarification of this unique material. Here, we address this issue by observing the stray magnetic field from Mn3Sn using a diamond quantum scanning magnetometer. The spatially-resolved intrinsic domains and domain walls in a high-quality single-crystalline Mn3Sn film quantitatively reveal the polarization angle of the magnetic octupole in the kagome plane, the domain's local magnetization, the domain wall's width and chirality, and the octupole order in domain walls. Our nanoscale investigation of Mn3Sn, a powerful complement to macroscopic measurements, paves the road for developing chiral antiferromagnetism and its potential for spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Exfoliation and Optical Properties of S=1 Triangular Lattice Antiferromagnet NiGa$_2$S$_4$

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials have been an exciting area of research ever since scientists first isolated a single layer of graphene. Single layer magnetic materials can provide a pathway for vdW heterostructures with magnetic properties. While most of the magnetic vdW materials exhibit ordering transitions in the bulk, here we report a successful exfoliation of a triangular lattice S=1 antiferromagnet NiGa$_2$S$_4$, which already demonstrates exotic magnetism in the bulk material. We establish the number of layers of the material by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and detail a careful characterization using Raman and optical spectroscopy to demonstrate how the optical, electronic, and structural properties of NiGa$_2$S$_4$ change as a function of sample thickness. Optical measurements and electronic structure calculations of bulk versus monolayer NiGa$_2$S$_4$ confirm the material to be a Mott insulator with an electronic gap of about 1.5 eV, which slightly increases for layers below 10 L. We conclude with a theoretical analysis of the possibility of doping monolayer NiGa$_2$S$_4$ by proximity to a metal.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Large anomalous Nernst effect in the ferromagnetic Fe3Si polycrystal

The high-throughput calculation predicts that the Fe-based cubic ferromagnet Fe$_3$Si may exhibit a large anomalous Nernst effect (ANE). Here, we report our experimental observation of the large Nernst coefficient $S_{yx}\sim$2 $μ$V/K and the transverse thermoelectric coefficient $-α_{yx}$ $\sim$ 3 Am$^{-1}$K$^{-1}$ for Fe$_3$Si polycrystal at room temperature. The large $-α_{yx}$ indicates that the large ANE originates from the intrinsic Berry curvature mechanism. The high Curie temperature of 840 K and the most abundant raw elements of Fe and Si make Fe$_3$Si a competitive candidate for Nernst thermoelectric generations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy for Irregularly-Shaped Samples and its Application to Uranium Ditelluride

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) is a powerful technique for measuring the full elastic tensor of a given material in a single experiment. Previously, this technique was limited to regularly-shaped samples such as rectangular parallelepipeds, spheres, and cylinders. We demonstrate a new method for determining the elastic moduli of irregularly-shaped samples, extending the applicability of RUS to a much larger set of materials. We apply this new approach to the recently-discovered unconventional superconductor UTe$_2$ and provide its elastic tensor at both 300 and 4 kelvin.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Extremely Large Magnetoresistance and Anisotropic Transport in Multipolar Kondo System PrTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$

Multipolar Kondo systems offer unprecedented opportunities for designing astonishing quantum phases and functionalities beyond spin-only descriptions. A model material platform of this kind is the cubic heavy-fermion system Pr$Tr_{2}$Al$_{20}$ ($Tr=$ Ti, V), which hosts a nonmagnetic crystal-electric-field (CEF) ground state and substantial Kondo entanglement of the local quadrupolar and octopolar moments with the conduction electron sea. Here, we explore magnetoresistance (MR) and Hall effect of PrTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$ that develops ferroquadrupolar (FQ) order below $T_{Q} \sim 2$ K and compare its behavior with that of the non-4$f$ analog, LaTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$. In the FQ ordered phase, PrTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$ displays extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR) of $\sim 10^{3}\%$. The unsaturated, quasi-linear field ($B$) dependence of the XMR violates the conventional Kohler's scaling and defies description based on carrier compensation alone. By comparing the MR and the Hall effect observed in PrTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$ and LaTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$, we conclude that the open-orbit topology on the electron-type Fermi surface (FS) sheet is key for the observed XMR. The low-temperature MR and the Hall resistivity in PrTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$ display pronounced anisotropy in the [111] and [001] magnetic fields, which is absent in LaTi$_{2}$Al$_{20}$, suggesting that the transport anisotropy ties in with the anisotropic magnetic-field response of the quadrupolar order parameter.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Fragile superconductivity in a Dirac metal

Studying superconductivity in Dirac semimetals is an important step in understanding quantum matter with topologically non-trivial order parameters. We report on the properties of the superconducting phase in single crystals of the Dirac material LaCuSb2 prepared by the self-flux method. We find that chemical and hydrostatic pressure drastically suppress the superconducting transition. Furthermore, due to large Fermi surface anisotropy, magnetization and muon spin relaxation measurements reveal Type-II superconductivity for applied magnetic fields along the $a$-axis, and Type-I superconductivity for fields along the $c$-axis. Specific heat confirms the bulk nature of the transition, and its deviation from single-gap $s$-wave BCS theory suggests multigap superconductivity. Our tight-binding model points to an anisotropic gap function arising from the spin-orbital texture near the Dirac nodes, providing an explanation for the appearance of an anomaly in specific heat well below $T_c$. Given the existence of superconductivity in a material harboring Dirac fermions, LaCuSb2 proves an interesting material candidate in the search for topological superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Ultrafast Dynamics of Intrinsic Anomalous Hall Effect in the Topological Antiferromagnet Mn3Sn

We investigate ultrafast dynamics of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the topological antiferromagnet Mn3Sn with sub-100 fs time resolution. Optical pulse excitations largely elevate the electron temperature up to 700 K, and terahertz probe pulses clearly resolves ultrafast suppression of the AHE before demagnetization. The result is well reproduced by microscopic calculation of the intrinsic Berry-curvature mechanism while the extrinsic contribution is clearly excluded. Our work opens a new avenue for the study of nonequilibrium AHE to identify the microscopic origin by drastic control of the electron temperature by light.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Weyl-Luttinger phase transition in pyrochlore iridates revealed by Raman scattering

Pyrochlore iridates are thought to be a fertile ground for the realization of topologically non-trivial and strongly correlated states of matter. Here we provide a compelling evidence of interacting Weyl electrons in Nd$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ and quadratic band touching in Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ by Raman scattering. We observe a magnetically-driven phase transition between the topological Weyl semimetal and a Luttinger semimetal with quadratic band touching in Nd$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$. Our theoretical analysis of the Raman scattering from Weyl and Luttinger quasiparticles agrees with experimental observations, and enables a characterization of the material parameters while revealing interaction and disorder effects through a relatively short quasiparticle lifetime.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Chiral-anomaly-driven magnetotransport in the correlated Weyl magnet Mn$_3$Sn

The quest for topological states in strongly correlated materials is challenging but essential from fundamental research and application perspectives. The magnetic Weyl semimetal (WSM) state in the chiral antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Sn emerges with strong electronic correlations, offering an intriguing arena for exploring the interplay between Weyl fermions and correlation physics. One prominent characteristic of the WSM state is the chiral anomaly, yet the potential effects of electronic correlations on the chiral anomaly remain unexplored. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the in-plane magnetotransport properties of single-crystal Mn$_{3+x}$Sn$_{1-x}$ with three different Mn doping levels ($x=0.053$, 0.070, and 0.090). The excess Mn leads to glassy ferromagnetic behavior and the Kondo effect, aside from shifting the chemical potential relative to the Weyl nodes. Thus, systematic tuning of the Mn doping level enables us to study the interplay between the spin-fluctuation scatterings, the correlation effect, and the chiral anomaly. We identify negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect specific to the chiral anomaly for all three doping levels, indicating that the chiral anomaly persists in the presence of strong correlations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Strong Magneto-Elastic Coupling in Mn$_3$X (X = Ge, Sn)

We measure the full elastic tensors of Mn$_3$Ge and Mn$_3$Sn as a function of temperature through their respective antiferromagnetic phase transitions. Large discontinuities in the bulk moduli at the Néel transitions indicate strong magnetoelastic coupling in both compounds. Strikingly, the discontinuities are nearly a factor of 10 larger in Mn$_3$Ge than in Mn$_3$Sn. We use the magnitudes of the discontinuities to calculate the pressure derivatives of the Néel temperature, which are 39 K/GPa 14.3 K/GPa for Mn$_3$Ge and Mn$_3$Sn, respectively. We measured in-plane shear modulus $c_{66}$, which couples strongly to the magnetic order, in magnetic fields up to 18 T and found quantitatively similar behavior in both compounds. Recent measurements have demonstrated strong piezomagnetism in Mn$_3$Sn: our results suggest that Mn$_3$Ge may be an even better candidate for this effect.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Magnetic field tuning of the valley population in the Weyl phase of Nd$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$

The frustrated magnet Nd$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$, where strong correlations together with spin-orbit coupling play a crucial role, is predicted to be a Weyl semimetal and to host topological pairs of bulk Dirac-like valleys. Here we use an external magnetic field to manipulate the localized rare earth 4f moments coupled to the 5d electronic bands. Low energy optical spectroscopy reveals that a field of only a few teslas suffices to create charge compensating pockets of holes and electrons in different regions of momentum space, thus introducing a valley population shift that can be tuned with the field.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Observation of a Critical Charge Mode in a Strange Metal

Quantum electronic matter has long been understood in terms of two limiting behaviors of electrons: one of delocalized metallic states, and the other of localized magnetic states. Understanding the strange metallic behavior which develops at the brink of localization demands new probes of the underlying electronic charge dynamics. Using a state-of-the-art technique, synchrotron-radiation-based Mossbauer spectroscopy, we have studied the longitudinal charge fluctuations of the strange metal phase of beta-YbAlB4 as a function of temperature and pressure. We find that the usual single absorption peak in the Fermi-liquid regime splits into two peaks upon entering the critical regime. This spectrum is naturally interpreted as a single nuclear transition, modulated by nearby electronic valence fluctuations whose long time-scales are further enhanced, due to the formation of charged polarons. Our results represent a direct observation of critical charge fluctuations as a new signature of strange metals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Phonon thermal Hall effect in a metallic spin ice

It has become common knowledge that phonons can generate thermal Hall effect in a wide variety of materials, although the underlying mechanism is still controversial. We study longitudinal $κ_{xx}$ and transverse $κ_{xy}$ thermal conductivity in Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$, which is a metallic analogue of spin ice. Despite the presence of mobile charge carriers, we find that both $κ_{xx}$ and $κ_{xy}$ are dominated by phonons. A $T/H$ scaling of $κ_{xx}$ unambiguously reveals that longitudinal heat current is substantially impeded by resonant scattering of phonons on paramagnetic spins. Upon cooling, the resonant scattering is strongly affected by a development of spin ice correlation and $κ_{xx}$ deviates from the scaling in an anisotropic way with respect to field directions. Strikingly, a set of the $κ_{xx}$ and $κ_{xy}$ data clearly shows that $κ_{xy}$ correlates with $κ_{xx}$ in its response to magnetic field including a success of the $T/H$ scaling and its failure at low temperature. This remarkable correlation provides solid evidence that an indispensable role is played by spin-phonon scattering not only for hindering the longitudinal heat conduction, but also for generating the transverse response.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Observation of spontaneous x-ray magnetic circular dichroism in a chiral antiferromagnet

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) signals are usually absent in antiferromagnets. In this letter, we report the observation of spontaneous XMCD spectra originating from the inverse triangular spin structure, or the polarization of the cluster magnetic octupole, in the chiral antiferromagnet Mn$_{3}$Sn thin film. The result is consistent with the recent theoretical predictions that the inverse triangular spin structure can give rise to finite XMCD signals in the absence of net magnetization [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 89, 083703 (2020) and Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 157402 (2021)].

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Giant effective damping of octupole oscillation in an antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal

A magnetic Weyl semimetal is a recent focus of extensive research as it may exhibit large and robust transport phenomena associated with topologically protected Weyl points in momentum space. Since a magnetic texture provides a handle for the configuration of the Weyl points and its transport response, understanding of magnetic dynamics should form a basis of future control of a topological magnet. Mn3Sn is an example of an antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal that exhibits a large response comparable to the one observed in ferromagnets despite a vanishingly small magnetization. The non-collinear spin order in Mn3Sn can be viewed as a ferroic order of cluster magnetic octupole and breaks the time-reversal symmetry, stabilizing Weyl points and the significantly enhanced Berry curvature near the Fermi energy. Here we report our first observation of time-resolved octupole oscillation in Mn3Sn. In particular, we find the giant effective damping of the octupole dynamics, and it is feasible to conduct an ultrafast switching at < 10 ps, a hundred times faster than the case of spin-magnetization in a ferromagnet. Moreover, high domain wall velocity over 10 km/s is theoretically predicted. Our work paves the path towards realizing ultrafast electronic devices using the topological antiferromagnet.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Phonon spectrum of Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ and Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ as an evidence of coupling of the lattice with electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom

Magnetic materials with pyrochlore crystal structure form exotic magnetic states due to the high lattice frustration. In this work we follow the effects of coupling of the lattice and electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom in two Praseodymium-based pyrochlores Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ and Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$. In both materials the presence of magnetic interactions does not lead to magnetically ordered low temperature states, however their electronic properties are different. A comparison of Raman phonon spectra of Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ and Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$ allows us to identify magneto-elastic coupling in Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ that elucidates its magnetic properties at intermediate temperatures, and allows us to characterize phonon-electron coupling in the semimetallic Pr$_2$Ir$_2$O$_7$. We also show that the effects of random disorder on the Raman phonon spectra is small.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Importance of dynamic lattice effects for crystal field excitations in quantum spin ice candidate Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$

Pr$_2$Zr$_2$O$_7$ is a pyrochlore quantum spin-ice candidate. Using Raman scattering spectroscopy we probe crystal electric field excitations of Pr$^{3+}$, and demonstrate the importance of their interactions with the lattice. We identify a vibronic interaction with a phonon that leads to a splitting of a doublet crystal field excitation at around 55~meV. We also probe a splitting of the non-Kramers ground state doublet of Pr$^{3+}$ by observing a double line of the excitations to the first excited singlet state $E^0_g \rightarrow A_{1g}$. We show that the splitting has a strong temperature dependence, with the doublet structure most prominent between 50~K and 100~K, and the weight of one of the components strongly decreases on cooling. We suggest a static or dynamic deviation of Pr$^{3+}$ from the position in the ideal crystal structure can be the origin of the effect, with the deviation strongly decreasing at low temperatures.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Anomalous Hall antiferromagnets

The Hall effect, in which current flows perpendicular to an applied electrical bias, has played a prominent role in modern condensed matter physics over much of the subject's history. Appearing variously in classical, relativistic and quantum guises, it has among other roles contributed to establishing the band theory of solids, to research on new phases of strongly interacting electrons, and to the phenomenology of topological condensed matter. The dissipationless Hall current requires time-reversal symmetry breaking. For over a century it has either been ascribed to externally applied magnetic field and referred to as the ordinary Hall effect, or ascribed to spontaneous non-zero total internal magnetization (ferromagnetism) and referred to as the anomalous Hall effect. It has not commonly been associated with antiferromagnetic order. More recently, however, theoretical predictions and experimental observations have identified large Hall effects in some compensated magnetic crystals, governed by neither of the global magnetic-dipole symmetry breaking mechanisms mentioned above. The goals of this article are to systematically organize the present understanding of anomalous antiferromagnetic materials that generate a non-zero Hall effect, which we will call anomalous Hall antiferromagnets, and to discuss this class of materials in a broader fundamental and applied research context. Our motivation in drawing attention to anomalous Hall antiferromagnets is two-fold. First, since Hall effects that are not governed by magnetic dipole symmetry breaking are at odds with the traditional understanding of the phenomenon, the topic deserves attention on its own. Second, this new reincarnation has again placed the Hall effect in the middle of an emerging field of physics at the intersection of multipole magnetism, topological condensed matter, and spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗