arXiv subjects

Shunichiro Kittaka

Publications and source records attributed to Shunichiro Kittaka.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Searching for gap zeros in Sr2RuO4 via field-angle-dependent specific-heat measurement

The gap structure of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, which is a longstanding candidate for a chiral p-wave superconductor, has been investigated from the perspective of the dependence of its specific heat on magnetic field angles at temperatures as low as 0.06 K ($\sim 0.04T_{\rm c}$). Except near $H_{\rm c2}$, its fourfold specific-heat oscillation under an in-plane rotating magnetic field is unlikely to change its sign down to the lowest temperature of 0.06 K. This feature is qualitatively different from nodal quasiparticle excitations of a quasi-two-dimensional superconductor possessing vertical lines of gap minima. The overall specific-heat behavior of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ can be explained by Doppler-shifted quasiparticles around horizontal line nodes on the Fermi surface, whose in-plane Fermi velocity is highly anisotropic, along with the occurrence of the Pauli-paramagnetic effect. These findings, in particular, the presence of horizontal line nodes in the gap, call for a reconsideration of the order parameter of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$.

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arXiv2018

Field-rotational magnetocaloric effect: A new experimental technique for accurate measurement of the anisotropic magnetic entropy

We developed a new technique for measuring the thermodynamic entropy as a function of the magnetic field angle. This technique enables high-resolution angle-resolved measurements of the entropy in an unprecedentedly short measuring time. When the magnetic field is rotated under adiabatic conditions, the sample temperature changes owing to the field-angle variation of its entropy, which is referred to as the rotational magnetocaloric effect. By investigating this effect along with the specific heat, the field-angle dependence of the entropy can be determined. To demonstrate this technique, we chose the spin-ice compound Dy$_2$Ti$_2$O$_7$ as a benchmark and showed good agreement between the measured and theoretical entropies as a function of the field angle. This development provides a new approach to studying condensed-matter physics, in which multiple degrees of freedom play an important role.

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arXiv2017

Gap structure of FeSe determined by field-angle-resolved specific heat measurements

Quasiparticle excitations in FeSe were studied by means of specific heat ($C$) measurements on a high-quality single crystal under rotating magnetic fields. The field dependence of $C$ shows three-stage behavior with different slopes, indicating the existence of three gaps ($Δ_1$, $Δ_2$, and $Δ_3$). In the low-temperature and low-field region, the azimuthal-angle ($ϕ$) dependence of $C$ shows a four-fold symmetric oscillation with sign change. On the other hand, the polar-angle ($θ$) dependence manifests as an anisotropy-inverted two-fold symmetry with unusual shoulder behavior. Combining the angle-resolved results and the theoretical calculation, the smaller gap $Δ_1$ is proved to have two vertical-line nodes or gap minima along the $k_z$ direction, and is determined to reside on the electron-type $\varepsilon$ band. $Δ_2$ is found to be related to the electron-type $δ$ band, and is isotropic in the $ab$-plane but largely anisotropic out of the plane. $Δ_3$ residing on the hole-type $α$ band shows a small out-of-plane anisotropy with a strong Pauli-paramagnetic effect.

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arXiv2017

Wing structure in the phase diagram of the Ising Ferromagnet URhGe close to its tricritical point investigated by angle-resolved magnetization measurements

High-precision angle-resolved dc magnetization and magnetic torque studies were performed on a single-crystalline sample of URhGe, an orthorhombic Ising ferromagnet with the $c$ axis being the magnetization easy axis, in order to investigate the phase diagram around the ferromagnetic (FM) reorientation transition in a magnetic field near the $b$ axis. We have clearly detected first-order transition in both the magnetization and the magnetic torque at low temperatures, and determined detailed profiles of the wing structure of the three-dimensional $T$-$H_{b}$-$H_{c}$ phase diagram, where $H_{c}$ and $H_{b}$ denotes the field components along the $c$ and the $b$ axes, respectively. The quantum wing critical points are located at $μ_0H_c\sim\pm$1.1 T and $μ_0H_b\sim$13.5 T. Two second-order transition lines at the boundaries of the wing planes rapidly tend to approach with each other with increasing temperature up to $\sim 3$ K. Just at the zero conjugate field ($H_c=0$), however, a signature of the first-order transition can still be seen in the field derivative of the magnetization at $\sim 4$ K, indicating that the tricritical point exists in a rather high temperature region above 4 K. This feature of the wing plane structure is consistent with the theoretical expectation that three second-order transition lines merge tangentially at the triciritical point.

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arXiv2017

Quasiparticle Excitations and Evidence for Superconducting Double Transitions in Monocrystalline U0.97Th0.03Be13

Superconducting (SC) gap symmetry and magnetic response of cubic U0.97Th0.03Be13 are studied by means of high-precision heat-capacity and dc magnetization measurements using a single crystal, in order to address the long-standing question of its second phase transition at Tc2 in the SC state below Tc1. The absence (presence) of an anomaly at Tc2 in the field-cooling (zero-field-cooling) magnetization indicates that this transition is between two different SC states. There is a qualitative difference in the field variation of the transition temperatures; Tc2(H) is isotropic whereas Tc1(H) exhibits a weak anisotropy between [001] and [111] directions. In the low temperature phase below Tc2(H), the angle-resolved heat-capacity $C(T,H, ϕ)$ reveals that the gap is fully opened over the Fermi surface, narrowing down the possible gap symmetry.

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arXiv2016

Thermodynamic Investigation of Metamagnetic Transitions and Partial Disorder in the Quasi-Kagome Kondo Lattice CePdAl

Low-temperature ($T$) thermodynamic properties in magnetic fields ($B$) of the quasi-Kagome antiferromagnet CePdAl ($T_{\rm N}\sim$ 2.7 K) were studied by means of magnetization and specific-heat $C(T,B)$ measurements. The unusual magnetic phase diagram, including three thermodynamic phases I-III, and crossover anomalies, has been obtained. In low-field phase I, the existence of the partial Kondo screening state on the one-third Ce sites is supported from the thermodynamic point of view: (i) an appearance of the paramagnetic moment with one-third of the full moment around 3 T, and (ii) an occurrence of the entropy release $\sim$0.3$R$ln2 around the observed crossover. On the other hand, a strong enhancement of $C/T$ is found around the point, where $T_{\rm N}(B)$ meets the boundary of phase III, indicating the possible presence of a tri-critical point. Furthermore, it is suggested that the three metamagnetic transitions at $B_{{\rm m}i}$ ($i=$1,2,3) come from successive increments of the Ising-type magnetic moment along the $c$-axis. In high-field state above 20 T, the behavior of $f$ electron can be rather described by the crystal-electric-field model.

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arXiv2016

Thermodynamic study of gap structure and pair-breaking effect by magnetic field in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCu2Si2

This paper presents the results of specific-heat and magnetization measurements, in particular their field-orientation dependence, on the first discovered heavy-fermion superconductor CeCu$_2$Si$_2$ ($T_{\rm c} \sim 0.6$ K). We discuss the superconducting gap structure and the origin of the anomalous pair-breaking phenomena, leading e.g., to the suppression of the upper critical field $H_{\rm c2}$, found in the high-field region. The data show that the anomalous pair breaking becomes prominent below about 0.15 K in any field direction, but occurs closer to $H_{\rm c2}$ for $H \parallel c$. The presence of this anomaly is confirmed by the fact that the specific-heat and magnetization data satisfy standard thermodynamic relations. Concerning the gap structure, field-angle dependences of the low-temperature specific heat within the $ab$ and $ac$ planes do not show any evidence for gap nodes. From microscopic calculations in the framework of a two-band full-gap model, the power-law-like temperature dependences of $C$ and $1/T_1$, reminiscent of nodal superconductivity, have been reproduced reasonably. These facts further support multiband full-gap superconductivity in CeCu$_2$Si$_2$.

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arXiv2016

Evidence for chiral d-wave superconductivity in URu2Si2 from the field-angle variation of its specific heat

Low-energy quasiparticle (QP) excitations in the heavy-fermion superconductor URu$_2$Si$_2$ were investigated by specific-heat $C(T, H, ϕ, θ)$ measurements of a high-quality single crystal. The occurrence of QP excitations due to the Doppler-shift effect was detected regardless of the field direction in $C(H)$ of the present clean sample, which is in sharp contrast to a previous report. Furthermore, the polar-angle-dependent $C(θ)$ measured under a rotating magnetic field within the ac plane exhibits a shoulder-like anomaly at $θ\sim 45$ deg and a sharp dip at $θ= 90$ deg ($H \parallel a$) in the moderate-field region. These features are supported by theoretical analyses based on microscopic calculations assuming the gap symmetry of $k_z(k_x+ik_y)$, whose gap structure is characterized by a combination of a horizontal line node at the equator and point nodes at the poles. The present results have settled the previous controversy over the gap structure of URu$_2$Si$_2$ and have authenticated its chiral $d$-wave superconductivity.

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arXiv2015

$S$ = 1/2 ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic alternating Heisenberg chain in a zinc-verdazyl complex

We successfully synthesized the zinc-verdazyl complex [Zn(hfac)$_2$]$\cdot$($o$-Py-V) [hfac = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate; $o$-Py-V = 3-(2-pyridyl)-1,5-diphenylverdazyl], which is an ideal model compound with an $S$ = 1/2 ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic alternating Heisenberg chain (F-AF AHC). $Ab$ $initio$ molecular orbital (MO) calculations indicate that two dominant interactions $J_{\rm{F}}$ and $J_{\rm{AF}}$ form the $S=1/2$ F-AF AHC in this compound. The magnetic susceptibility and magnetic specific heat of the compound exhibit thermally activated behavior below approximately 1 K. Furthermore, its magnetization curve is observed up to the saturation field and directly indicates a zero-field excitation gap of 0.5 T. These experimental results provide evidence for the existence of a Haldane gap. We successfully explain the results in terms of the $S=1/2$ F-AF AHC through quantum Monte Carlo calculations with $|J_{\rm{AF}}/J_{\rm{F}}|$ = 0.22. The $ab$ $initio$ MO calculations also indicate a weak AF interchain interaction $J'$ and that the coupled F-AF AHCs form a honeycomb lattice. The $J'$ dependence of the Haldane gap is calculated, and the actual value of $J'$ is determined to be less than 0.01$|J_{\rm{F}}|$.

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arXiv2014

Sharp magnetization jump at the first-order superconducting transition in Sr2RuO4

The magnetization and magnetic torque of a high-quality single crystal of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ have been measured down to 0.1 K under a precise control of the magnetic-field orientation. When the magnetic field is applied exactly parallel to the $ab$ plane, a sharp magnetization jump $4πδM$ of $(0.74 \pm 0.15)$ G at the upper critical field $H_{{\rm c2},{ab}} \sim 15$ kOe with a field hysteresis of 100 Oe is observed at low temperatures, evidencing a first-order superconducting-normal transition. A strong magnetic torque appearing when $H$ is slightly tilted away from the $ab$ plane confirms an intrinsic anisotropy $\varGamma=ξ_a/ξ_c$ of as large as 60 even at 100 mK, in contrast with the observed $H_{\rm c2}$ anisotropy of $\sim 20$. The present results raise fundamental issues in both the existing spin-triplet and spin-singlet scenarios, providing, in turn, crucial hints toward the resolution of the superconducting nature of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$.

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arXiv2014

Field-Orientation Dependence of Low-Energy Quasiparticle Excitations in the Heavy-Electron Superconductor UBe13

Low-energy quasiparticle excitations in the superconducting (SC) state of UBe$_{13}$ were studied by means of specific-heat ($C$) measurements in a rotating field. Quite unexpectedly, the magnetic-field dependence of $C(H)$ is linear in $H$ with no angular dependence at low fields in the SC state, implying that the gap is fully open over the Fermi surfaces, in stark contrast to the previous expectation. In addition, a characteristic cubic anisotropy of $C(H)$ was observed above 2~T with a maximum (minimum) for $H$ $||$ $[001]$ ($[111]$) within the $(1\bar{1}0)$ plane, both in the normal as well as in the SC states. This oscillation possibly originates from the anisotropic response of the heavy quasiparticle bands, and might be a key to understand the unusual properties of UBe$_{13}$.

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arXiv2014

Multiband superconductivity with unexpected deficiency of nodal quasiparticles in CeCu2Si2

Superconductivity in the heavy-fermion compound CeCu2Si2 is a prototypical example of Cooper pairs formed by strongly correlated electrons. For more than 30 years, it has been believed to arise from nodal d-wave pairing mediated by a magnetic glue. Here, we report a detailed study of the specific heat and magnetization at low temperatures for a high-quality single crystal. Unexpectedly, the specific-heat measurements exhibit exponential decay with a two-gap feature in its temperature dependence, along with a linear dependence as a function of magnetic field and the absence of oscillations in the field angle, reminiscent of multiband full-gap superconductivity. In addition, we find anomalous behavior at high fields, attributed to a strong Pauli paramagnetic effect. A low quasiparticle density of states at low energies with a multiband Fermi-surface topology would open a new door into electron pairing in CeCu2Si2.

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arXiv2014

Fine-Tuning of Magnetic Interactions in Organic Spin Ladders

We have succeeded in synthesizing two types of new organic radical crystals 3-I-V [= 3- (3-iodophenyl)-1,5-diphenylverdazyl] and 3-Br-4-F-V [= 3-(3-bromo-4-fluorophenyl)-1,5- diphenylverdazyl]. Their crystal strucutures are found to be isomorphous to that of previously reported spin ladder 3-Cl-4-F-V. Through the quantitative analysis of their molecular arrangements and magnetic properties, we confirm that these materials form ferromagnetic chain-based spin ladders with slightly modulated magnetic interactions. These results present the first quantitative demonstration of the fine-tuning of magnetic interactions in the molecular- based materials.

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arXiv2013

Thermodynamic Study of Nodal Structure and Multiband Superconductivity of KFe2As2

The temperature, field, and field-orientation dependences of the electronic specific heat Ce of the ironpnictide superconductor KFe2As2 have been investigated. Thermodynamic evidence of the presence of line nodes is obtained from the T and $\sqrt{H}$ linear dependences of Ce/T in the low-T and low-H region. Under a magnetic field rotated within the tetragonal ab plane, a fourfold oscillation is observed in Ce with a sign change at 0.08Tc. On the basis of the Doppler-shift analysis, the observed Ce minima in H // [100] at low T indicate the presence of line nodes somewhere on the Fermi surface where the Fermi velocity is parallel to the [100] direction; this is consistent with the octet-line-node scenario proposed recently by a photoemission experiment. In addition, the low-T Ce/T exhibits an unusual upturn on cooling at moderate fields only for H // ab, which is understood in terms of the strong Pauli paramagnetic effect on multiband superconductivity.

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arXiv2013

Verification of Anisotropic s-Wave Superconducting Gap Structure in CeRu2 from Low-Temperature Field-Angle-Resolved Specific Heat Measurements

The field-angle-resolved specific heat C(T,H,phi) of the f-electron superconductor CeRu2 (Tc=6.3 K) has been measured at low temperatures down to 90 mK on two single crystals of slightly different qualities. We reveal that the C(phi) oscillation in a rotating magnetic field, originating from the gap anisotropy, diminishes at low temperatures below the characteristic field H*, as expected for an anisotropic gap without nodes. We also observe the suppression of H* by decreasing the gap anisotropy ratio $Δ_{\rm min}/Δ_{\rm max}$, a behavior that has been predicted from a microscopic theory for anisotropic s-wave superconductors. The present technique is established as a powerful tool for investigating minimum-gap structures as well as nodal structures.

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arXiv2013

Singlet-triplet Crossover in the Two-dimensional Dimer Spin System YbAl3C3

Low-temperature magnetization (M) measurements down to 0.1 K have been performed in magnetic fields up to 14.5 T for a single piece of a tiny single-crystalline sample (0.2 mg weight) of the spin-gap system YbAl3C3. At the base temperature of 0.1 K, several metamagnetic transitions were clearly observed for H // c in the range 6 T < H < 9 T whereas only two transitions were observed, one at 4.8 T and the other at 6.6 T, for H // a. At fields above 9 T, the magnetization becomes almost saturated for both H // a and H // c. The present results indicate that a singlet-triplet crossover occurs in a relatively narrow field range, suggesting a rather weak interdimer interaction in spite of the nearly triangular lattice of Yb ions.

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arXiv2013

Anomalous Field-Angle Dependence of the Specific Heat of Heavy-Fermion Superconductor UPt3

We have investigated the field-angle variation of the specific heat C(H, phi, theta) of the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3 at low temperatures T down to 50 mK, where phi and theta denote the azimuthal and polar angles of the magnetic field H, respectively. For T = 88 mK, C(H, theta=90) increases proportionally to H^{1/2} up to nearly the upper critical field Hc2, indicating the presence of line nodes. By contrast, C(H, theta=0) deviates upward from the H^{1/2} dependence for (H/Hc2)^{1/2} > 0.5. This behavior can be related to the suppression of Hc2 along the c direction, whose origin has not been resolved yet. Our data show that the unusual Hc2 limit becomes marked only when theta is smaller than 30. In order to explore the possible vertical line nodes in the gap structure, we measured the phi dependence of C in wide T and H ranges. However, we did not observe any in-plane angular oscillation of C within the accuracy of dC/C~0.5%. This result implies that field-induced excitations of the heavy quasiparticles occur isotropically with respect to phi, which is apparently contrary to the recent finding of a twofold thermal-conductivity oscillation.

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arXiv2012

Superconducting gap structure of CeIrIn5 from field-angle-resolved measurements of its specific heat

In order to identify the gap structure of CeIrIn5, we measured field-angle-resolved specific heat C(phi) by conically rotating the magnetic field H around the c axis at low temperatures down to 80 mK. We revealed that C(phi) exhibits a fourfold angular oscillation, whose amplitude decreases monotonically by tilting H out of the ab plane. Detailed microscopic calculations based on the quasiclassical Eilenberger equation confirm that the observed features are uniquely explained by assuming the dx2-y2-wave gap. These results strongly indicate that CeIrIn5 is a dx2-y2-wave superconductor and suggest the universal pairing mechanism in CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh, and Ir).

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