arXiv subjects

Satoshi Sasaki

Publications and source records attributed to Satoshi Sasaki.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Superconducting doped topological materials

Recently, the search for Majorana fermions (MFs) has become one of the most important and exciting issues in condensed matter physics since such an exotic quasiparticle is expected to potentially give rise to unprecedented quantum phenomena whose functional properties will be used to develop future quantum technology. Theoretically, the MFs may reside in various types of topological superconductor materials that is characterized by the topologically protected gapless surface state which are essentially an Andreev bound state. Superconducting doped topological insulators and topological crystalline insulators are promising candidates to harbor the MFs. In this review, we discuss recent progress and understanding on the research of MFs based on time-reversal-invariant superconducting topological materials to deepen our understanding and have a better outlook on both the search for and realization of MFs in these systems. We also discuss some advantages of these bulk systems to realize MFs including remarkable superconducting robustness against nonmagnetic impurities.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Superconducting Sn_{1-x}In_{x}Te Nanoplates

Recently, the search for Majorana fermions has become one of the most prominent subjects in condensed matter physics. This search involves explorations of new materials and hence offers interesting opportunities for chemistry. Theoretically, Majorana fermions may reside in various types of topological superconductor materials, and superconducting Sn_{1-x}In_{x}Te, which is a doped topological crystalline insulator, is one of the promising candidates to harbor Majorana fermions. Here, we report the first successful growth of superconducting Sn_{1-x}In_{x}Te nanoplates on Si substrates by a simple vapor transport method without employing any catalyst. We observed robust superconducting transitions in those nanoplates after device fabrication and found that the relation between the critical temperature and the carrier density is consistent with that of bulk single crystals, suggesting that the superconducting properties of the nanoplate devices are essentially the same as those of bulk crystals. With the help of nanofabrication, those nanoplates would prove useful for elucidating the potentially topological nature of superconductivity in Sn_{1-x}In_{x}Te to harbor Majorana fermions and thereby contribute to the future quantum technologies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Ferromagnetism in Cr-doped topological insulator TlSbTe2

We have synthesized a new ferromagnetic topological insulator by doping Cr to the ternary topological-insulator material TlSbTe2. Single crystals of Tl_{1-x}Cr_{x}SbTe2 were grown by a melting method and it was found that Cr can be incorporated into the TlSbTe2 matrix only within the solubility limit of about 1%. The Curie temperature θ_c was found to increase with the Cr content but remained relatively low, with the maximum value of about 4 K. The easy axis was identified to be the c-axis and the saturation moment was 2.8 μ_B (Bohr magneton) at 1.8 K. The in-plane resistivity of all the samples studied showed metallic behavior with p-type carriers. Shubnikov-de Hass (SdH) oscillations were observed in samples with the Cr-doping level of up to 0.76%. We also tried to induce ferromagnetism in TlBiTe2 by doping Cr, but no ferromagnetism was observed in Cr-doped TlBiTe2 crystals within the solubility limit of Cr which turned out to be also about 1%.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Observation of Two-Dimensional Bulk Electronic States in a Superconducting Topological Insulator Heterostructure Cux(PbSe)5(Bi2Se3)6: Implications for Unconventional Superconductivity

We have performed angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on Cux(PbSe)5(Bi2Se3)6 (CPSBS; x = 1.47), a superconductor derived from a topological insulator heterostructure, to elucidate the electronic states relevant to the occurrence of possible unconventional superconductivity. Upon Cu intercalation into the parent compound (PbSe)5(Bi2Se3)6, we observed a distinct energy shift of the bulk conduction band due to electron doping. Photon-energy dependent ARPES measurements of CPSBS revealed that the observed bulk band forms a cylindrical electronlike Fermi surface at the Brillouin-zone center. The two-dimensional nature of the bulk electronic states suggests the occurrence of odd-parity Eu pairing or even-parity d-wave pairing, both of which may provide a platform of Majorana bound states in the superconducting state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Electrical detection of the spin polarization due to charge flow in the surface state of the topological insulator Bi_1.5 Sb_0.5 Te_1.7 Se_1.3

We detected the spin polarization due to charge flow in the spin non-degenerate surface state of a three dimensional topological insulator by means of an all-electrical method. The charge current in the bulk-insulating topological insulator Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.7Se1.3 (BSTS) was injected/extracted through a ferromagnetic electrode made of Ni80Fe20, and an unusual current-direction-dependent magnetoresistance gives evidence for the appearance of spin polarization which leads to a spin-dependent resistance at the BSTS/Ni80Fe20 interface. In contrast, our control experiment on Bi2Se3 gave null result. These observations demonstrate the importance of the Fermi-level control for the electrical detection of the spin polarization in topological insulators.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Doping-dependent charge dynamics in CuxBi2Se3

Superconducting CuxBi2Se3 has attracted significant attention as a candidate topological superconductor. Besides inducing superconductivity, the introduction of Cu atoms to this material has also been observed to produce a number of unusual features in DC transport and magnetic susceptibility measurements. To clarify the effect of Cu doping, we have performed a systematic optical spectroscopic study of the electronic structure of CuxBi2Se3 as a function of Cu doping. Our measurements reveal an increase in the conduction band effective mass, while both the free carrier density and lifetime remain relatively constant for Cu content greater than x=0.15. The increased mass naturally explains trends in the superfluid density and residual resistivity as well as hints at the complex nature of Cu doping in Bi2Se3.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Large linear magnetoresistance in the Dirac semimetal TlBiSSe

The mixed-chalcogenide compound TlBiSSe realizes a three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal state. In clean, low-carrier-density single crystals of this material, we found Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations to signify its 3D Dirac nature. Moreover, we observed very large linear magnetoresistance (MR) approaching 10,000% in 14 T at 1.8 K, which diminishes rapidly above 30 K. Our analysis of the magnetotransport data points to the possibility that the linear MR is fundamentally governed by the Hall field; although such a situation has been predicted for highly-inhomogeneous systems, inhomogeneity does not seem to play an important role in TlBiSSe. Hence, the mechanism of large linear MR is an intriguing open question in a clean 3D Dirac system.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Design of a silica-aerogel-based cosmic dust collector for the Tanpopo mission aboard the International Space Station

We are developing a silica-aerogel-based cosmic dust collector for use in the Tanpopo experiment to be conducted on the International Space Station. The mass production of simple two-layer hydrophobic aerogels was undertaken in a contamination-controlled environment, yielding more than 100 undamaged products. The collector, comprising an aerogel tile and holder panel, was designed to resist launch vibration and to conform to an exposure attachment. To this end, a box-framing aerogel with inner and outer densities of 0.01 and 0.03 g/cm$^3$, respectively, was fabricated. The aerogel mounted in the panel passed random vibration tests at the levels of the acceptance and qualification tests for launch. It also withstood the pressure changes expected in the airlock on the International Space Station.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Top gating of epitaxial (Bi_{1-x}Sb_x)2Te3 topological insulator thin films

The tunability of the chemical potential for a wide range encompassing the Dirac point is important for many future devices based on topological insulators. Here we report a method to fabricate highly efficient top gates on epitaxially grown (Bi_{1-x}Sb_x)2Te3 topological insulator thin films without degrading the film quality. By combining an in situ deposited Al2O3 capping layer and a SiN_x dielectric layer deposited at low temperature, we were able to protect the films from degradation during the fabrication processes. We demonstrate that by using this top gate, the carriers in the top surface can be efficiently tuned from n- to p-type. We also show that magnetotransport properties give evidence for decoupled transport through top and bottom surfaces for the entire range of gate voltage, which is only possible in truly bulk-insulating samples.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

A new superconductor derived from topological insulator heterostructure

Topological superconductors (TSCs) are of significant current interest because they offer promising platforms for finding Majorana fermions. Here we report a new superconductor synthesized by intercalating Cu into a naturally-formed topological insulator (TI) heterostructure consisting of Bi2Se3 TI units separated by nontopological PbSe units. For the first time in a TI-based superconductor, the specific-heat behavior of this material suggests the occurrence of unconventional superconductivity with gap nodes. The existence of gap nodes in a strongly spin-orbit coupled superconductor would give rise to spin-split Andreev bound states that are the hallmark of topological superconductivity. Hence, this new superconductor emerges as an intriguing candidate TSC.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Topological Surface Transport in Epitaxial SnTe Thin Films Grown on Bi2Te3

The topological crystalline insulator SnTe has been grown epitaxially on a Bi2Te3 buffer layer by molecular beam epitaxy. In a 30-nm-thick SnTe film, p- and n-type carriers are found to coexist, and Shubnikov--de Haas oscillation data suggest that the n-type carriers are Dirac fermions residing on the SnTe (111) surface. This transport observation of the topological surface state in a p-type topological crystalline insulator became possible due to a downward band bending on the free SnTe surface, which appears to be of intrinsic origin.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Cooperative Lifting of Spin Blockade in a Three-Terminal Triple Quantum Dot

We report measurements of multi-path transport through a triple quantum dot (TQD) in the few-electron regime using a GaAs three-terminal device with a separate lead attached to each dot. When two paths reside inside the transport window and are simultaneously spin-blockaded, the leak currents through both paths are significantly enhanced. We suggest that the transport processes in the two paths cooperate to lift the spin blockade. Fine structures in transport spectra indicate that different kinds of cooperative mechanisms are involved, depending on the details of the three-electron spin states governed by the size of exchange splitting relative to nuclear spin fluctuations. Our results indicate that a variety of correlation phenomena can be explored in three-terminal TQDs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Unusual nature of fully-gapped superconductivity in In-doped SnTe

The superconductor Sn_{1-x}In_{x}Te is a doped topological crystalline insulator and has become important as a candidate topological superconductor, but its superconducting phase diagram is poorly understood. By measuring about 50 samples of high-quality, vapor-grown single crystals, we found that the dependence of the superconducting transition temperature Tc on the In content x presents a qualitative change across the critical doping xc ~ 3.8%, at which a structural phase transition takes place. Intriguingly, in the ferroelectric rhombohedral phase below the critical doping, Tc is found to be strongly ENHANCED with impurity scattering. It appears that the nature of electron pairing changes across xc in Sn_{1-x}In_{x}Te.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Transmission-phase measurement of the 0.7 anomaly in a quantum point contact

We measure the transmission phase of a quantum point contact (QPC) at a low carrier density in which electron interaction is expected to play an important role and anomalous behaviors are observed. In the first conductance plateau, the transmission phase shifts monotonically as the carrier density is decreased by the gate voltage. When the conductance starts to decrease, in what is often called the 0.7 regime, the phase exhibits an anomalous increase compared with the noninteracting model. The observation implies an increase in the wave vector as the carrier density is decreased, suggesting a transition to a spin-incoherent Luttinger liquid.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Anomalous metallic state above the upper critical field of the conventional three-dimensional superconductor AgSnSe2 with strong intrinsic disorder

We report superconducting properties of AgSnSe2 which is a conventional type-II superconductor in the very dirty limit due to intrinsically strong electron scatterings. While this material is an isotropic three-dimensional (3D) superconductor with a not-so-short coherence length where strong vortex fluctuations are NOT expected, we found that the magnetic-field-induced resistive transition at fixed temperatures becomes increasingly broader toward zero temperature and, surprisingly, that this broadened transition is taking place largely ABOVE the upper critical field determined thermodynamically from the specific heat. This result points to the existence of an anomalous metallic state possibly caused by quantum phase fluctuations in a strongly-disordered 3D superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Shot noise spectroscopy on a semiconductor quantum dot in the elastic and inelastic cotunneling regimes

We report shot noise spectroscopy on a semiconductor quantum dot in a cotunneling regime. The DC conductance measurements show clear signatures of both elastic and inelastic cotunneling transport inside a Coulomb diamond. We observed Poissonian shot noise with the Fano factor $F\approx 1$ in the elastic cotunneling regime, and super-Poissonian Fano factor $1<F<3$ in the inelastic cotunneling regime. The differences in the value of the Fano factor between elastic and inelastic processes reveal the microscopic mechanisms involved in the cotunneling transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Anomalous dressing of Dirac fermions in the topological surface state of Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and CuxBi2Se3

Quasiparticle dynamics on the topological surface state of Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and superconducting CuxBi2Se3 are studied by 7 eV laser-based angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find strong mode-couplings in the Dirac-cone surface states at energies of ~3 and ~15-20 meV, which leads to an exceptionally large coupling constant of ~3, which is one of the strongest ever reported for any material. This result is compatible with the recent observation of a strong Kohn anomaly in the surface phonon dispersion of Bi2Se3, but it appears that the theoretically proposed "spin-plasmon" excitations realized in helical metals are also playing an important role. Intriguingly, the ~3 meV mode coupling is found to be enhanced in the superconducting state of CuxBi2Se3.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Anomalous suppression of the superfluid density in the CuxBi2Se3 superconductor upon progressive Cu intercalation

CuxBi2Se3 was recently found to be likely the first example of a time-reversal-invariant topological superconductor accompanied by helical Majorana fermions on the surface. Here we present that progressive Cu intercalation into this system introduces significant disorder and leads to an anomalous suppression of the superfluid density which was obtained from the measurements of the lower critical field. At the same time, the transition temperature T_c is only moderately suppressed, which agrees with a recent prediction for the impurity effect in this class of topological superconductors bearing strong spin-orbit coupling. Those unusual disorder effects give support to the possible odd-parity pairing state in CuxBi2Se3.

cond-mat.supr-con↗