arXiv subjects

Takamasa Hirai

Publications and source records attributed to Takamasa Hirai.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Observation of the orbital Nernst effect

The Nernst effect, which converts a temperature gradient into a transverse charge current, is fundamental to thermoelectrics. Its spin analogue, the spin Nernst effect, enables thermal generation of transverse spin currents and is central to spin caloritronics. Recently, the discovery of orbital currents, the orbital counterpart of spin currents, has extended angular-momentum transport beyond spin, leading to the prediction of the orbital Nernst effect, in which a temperature gradient drives a transverse orbital current. However, experimental evidence for this effect has been lacking. Here, we report the observation of the orbital Nernst effect in Ti. Using Ni electrodes on Ti, we detect a thermally induced voltage that depends on the magnetization direction and scales linearly with the temperature gradient. This voltage is strongly suppressed both when Ni is replaced with Ni$_{81}$Fe$_{19}$ and when Ti is replaced with Cr, providing strong evidence that the signal originates from the orbital Nernst effect rather than the anomalous Nernst or spin Nernst effect. These results establish thermally driven orbital transport, opening a pathway toward orbital caloritronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Observation of the Nernst effect driven by longitudinal spin fluctuations

The Nernst effect, which converts a heat current into a charge current in the orthogonal direction, is generally classified into the ordinary effect due to an external magnetic field applied to conductors and the anomalous effect due to static magnetization in magnetic materials. Thus, one expects that the anomalous Nernst effect disappears at the Curie temperature following the magnetization. Here, we observe the Nernst effect which rather manifests around the Curie temperature. In a series of ferromagnetic (Mn,Cr)Sb samples, the Nernst coefficients exhibit finite values even across the Curie temperatures, whereas the anomalous Hall resistivity disappears, suggesting the breakdown of the Mott relation. These surviving Nernst and vanishing Hall effects result in a peak behavior of the transverse thermoelectric conductivity around the Curie temperature, which we theoretically reproduce by introducing longitudinal fluctuations of spins without accounting for an exotic spin texture, a non-trivial electronic structure, or magnon- and phonon-drag effects. The Nernst effect driven by the longitudinal spin fluctuations reveals that not only the static magnetic order but also the spin fluctuations can be a driving force of the Nernst effect in magnetic materials, opening another way for boosting transverse thermoelectric conversion.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Observation of orbital-angular-momentum-driven temperature modulation via the spin Peltier effect

Angular-momentum transport provides a pathway for controlling energy flow in solids beyond conventional charge-based mechanisms. While spin currents are known to mediate spin-caloritronic phenomena such as the spin Peltier effect (SPE), the role of orbital angular momentum in heat transport remains largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate orbital-angular-momentum-driven temperature modulation via the SPE in yttrium iron garnet/Pt/CuOx heterostructures. Using wedge-shaped CuOx layers combined with spatially resolved active thermal measurement techniques, we map the continuous thickness dependence and quantitatively disentangle the spin- and orbital-current-mediated contributions within a single device. The orbital-mediated component exhibits a pronounced maximum at an intermediate thickness, revealing a characteristic length scale for interfacial orbital-angular-momentum generation and propagation at the Cu/CuOx interface. These results provide direct experimental evidence that charge-current-driven orbital angular momentum can drive SPE-induced temperature modulation, establishing interfacial orbital processes as an additional channel for heat transport and providing a pathway toward spin-orbit caloritronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Observation of nonlocal ferron-drag thermoelectricity

The Peltier effect induces a heat current when a charge current passes through a conductor. Since a charge current is conserved at the junction between two different conductors, the difference between the heat flowing in both conductors for the same charge current leads to heating or cooling of the interface, providing an operating mechanism of solid-state heat pumps. Here, we report observation of heat absorption and release signals even in a junction-free, homogeneous metal when placed in proximity to a ferroelectric insulator. Our experiments using active thermographic imaging techniques confirm the prediction of the ferron-drag effect, i.e., the nonlocal excitation of ferrons, the collective excitation of the ferroelectric order, by conduction electrons in the adjacent metal. We reveal the electric-polarization-direction dependence of the temperature change signals and their unexpected increase with the metal thickness beyond the charge screening length, uncovering additional electron-phonon-ferron interactions in the metal/ferroelectric hybrid structure. The discovery of crosstalk between metals and ferroelectrics via remote ferrons could become both a nuisance and an opportunity for highly integrated circuits with ferroelectric barrier materials and revolutionize the design architecture of thermoelectric devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Realizing record-high transverse thermoelectric figure of merit at room temperature in artificially tilted multilayers based on high power factor NiFe alloy

Transverse thermoelectric conversion using artificially tilted multilayers (ATMLs) offers a versatile device architecture that circumvents the structural limitations of conventional longitudinal thermoelectrics. However, achieving competitive room-temperature thermoelectric performance without an external magnetic field remains a critical challenge. Here, we report a record-high transverse thermoelectric figure of merit $z_{yx}T$ of 0.36 in Ni$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_{3}$-based ATML at room temperature without an external magnetic field. Leveraging the longitudinal high power factor in a Ni$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$ alloy and the sharp contrast in electrical and thermal transport properties between $n$-type Ni$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$ and $p$-type Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_{3}$, we engineer an anisotropic structure that simultaneously exploits high electrical conductivity, large transverse thermopower, and low thermal conductivity to maximize $z_{yx}T$ in ATML. Through the direct measurements of these thermoelectric transport parameters, we obtained $z_{yx}T$ of 0.36 in Ni$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_{3}$-based ATML, which is in excellent agreement with the analytical prediction of 0.36 owing to the low interfacial electrical and thermal resistances at the Ni$_{50}$Fe$_{50}$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_{3}$ junctions. These results pave the way for the practical implementation of transverse thermoelectric materials around room temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Trans-scale spin Seebeck effect in nanostructured bulk composites based on magnetic insulator

The spin Seebeck effect (SSE) enables thermoelectric conversion through thermally generated spin currents in magnetic materials, offering a promising transverse geometry for scalable devices. However, conventional SSE devices are confined to nanoscale thin-film architectures, with significantly restricted output power due to the intrinsic constraints of spin and magnon diffusion lengths. Here, we demonstrate a trans-scale SSE using nano-structured bulk composites composed of Pt-coated yttrium iron garnet powders fabricated via dynamic powder sputtering and low-temperature sintering. The resulting three-dimensional composites exhibit continuous Pt channels and robust mechanical integrity. Transverse thermoelectric measurements confirm isotropic SSE signals at the bulk scale. Power analysis indicates that the three-dimensional architecture enables scalable volumetric thermoelectric power generation beyond diffusion-limited thin-film SSE geometries. This work establishes a scalable platform for bulk SSE-based thermoelectrics, bridging nanoscale spin caloritronics with macroscopic device integration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Observation of giant nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching in superconductor-ferromagnet hybrids

Magneto-thermal switch is a crucial thermal component which enables heat transfer control by the application of an external magnetic field. Recently, a nonvolatile behavior in magneto-thermal conductivity at zero magnetic field was observed in type-II and phase-separated superconductors owing to magnetic flux pinning nature, leading to an energy-efficient thermal control technology. However, the nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching ratio has been much lower than the volatile one in conventional materials. Here, we demonstrate a giant nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching in ferromagnetic Fe-superconducting Pb hybrids. The dispersion of pure Fe particles realizes increased electron and decreased phonon contributions in the thermal conductivity, which enhances the magneto-thermal switching ratio at the superconducting-to-normal conducting phase transition. Furthermore, in concert with trapped magnetic flux by supercurrent, ferromagnetic moment of Fe breaks the superconductivity of Pb matrix at zero magnetic field, enabling a significantly large nonvolatility even with a slight amount of Fe inclusions. Consequently, the nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching ratio reaches 719% in maximum at the Fe ratio of 8.7 vol%, which is more than twice the previous record value observed in Pb-Sn composites and the volatile one in pure Pb. This work broadens the exploration space and strategy for giant nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Revealing nonvolatile behaviors in magneto-thermal switching using microstructure-controlled superconducting composites

Thermal conductivity in a conductor changes by the application of an external magnetic field, which functions as a magneto-thermal switch. For superconductors, a large magneto-thermal switching can occur through a superconducting-to-normal conducting phase transition due to the change in the electron contribution in thermal conductivity. Arima et al. recently reported a nonvolatile nature of the magneto-thermal switching for superconducting solders, which consist of phase-separated Sn and Pb domains. Although they clarified that magnetic flux trapping is required to induce the nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching, a rule for such material design is still unclear. Here, we investigate the microstructure dependence of magneto-thermal switching in superconducting Sn/Pb multilayered composites, which are created by an accumulative roll bonding method. The thickness of each layer, that is the scale of microstructure, can be systematically controlled by the repetition number of roll bonding while the whole sample size and average composition are unchanged. We find that, as the formation of micro-scaled Sn domains proceeds by increasing the repetition number, a nonvolatility in the magneto-thermal conductivity gradually appears in correlation with the remanent magnetization. This study directly confirms that the inclusions with a size comparable to or less than the magnetic vortex in superconducting matrix is essential for magnetic flux trapping, enabling the nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching in superconducting composites.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Spin caloritronics: History and future prospects of experiments

Since the beginning of the 21st century, novel energy conversion and control principles utilizing the spin degree of freedom have been discovered in the field of spin caloritronics, which integrates spintronics with thermal transport and thermoelectric properties. In this article, we review the history of development of spin caloritronics and experimental studies on various transport phenomena caused by heat-charge-spin interactions. We then discuss future prospects in spin caloritronics from the viewpoints of measurement techniques, physics, materials science, and engineering applications. Spin caloritronics is now at a turning point, transitioning from fundamental condensed matter physics to materials science, and further development is anticipated in both fundamental and applied research.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Non-equilibrium Magnon Engineering Enabling Significant Thermal Transport Modulation

Thermal conductivity, a fundamental parameter characterizing thermal transport in solids, is typically determined by electron and phonon transport. Although other transport properties including electrical conductivity and thermoelectric conversion coefficients have material-specific values, it is known that thermal conductivity can be modulated artificially via phonon engineering techniques. Here, we demonstrate another way of artificially modulating the heat conduction in solids: magnonic thermal transport engineering. The time-domain thermoreflectance measurements using ferromagnetic metal/insulator junction systems reveal that the thermal conductivity of the ferromagnetic metals and interfacial thermal conductance vary significantly depending on the spatial distribution of nonequilibrium spin currents. Systematic measurements of the thermal transport properties with changing the boundary conditions for spin currents show that the observed thermal transport modulation stems from magnon origin. This observation unveils that magnons significantly contribute to the heat conduction even in ferromagnetic metals at room temperature, upsetting the conventional wisdom that the thermal conductivity mediated by magnons is very small in metals except at low temperatures. The magnonic thermal transport engineering offers a new principle and method for active thermal management.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Fundamentals and advances in transverse thermoelectrics

Transverse thermoelectric effects interconvert charge and heat currents in orthogonal directions due to the breaking of either time-reversal symmetry or structural symmetry, enabling simple and versatile thermal energy harvesting and solid-state cooling/heating within single materials. In comparison to the complex module structures required for the conventional Seebeck and Peltier effects, the transverse thermoelectric effects provide the complete device structures, potentially resolving the fundamental issue of multi-module degradation of thermoelectric conversion performance. This review article provides an overview of all currently known transverse thermoelectric conversion phenomena and principles, as well as their characteristics, and reclassifies them in a unified manner. The performance of the transverse thermoelectric generator, refrigerator, and active cooler is formulated, showing that thermal boundary conditions play an essential role in discussion on their behaviors. Examples of recent application research and material development in transverse thermoelectrics are also introduced, followed by a discussion of future prospects.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Quantitative measurements of transverse thermoelectric generation and cooling performances in SmCo$_5$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_3$-based artificially tilted multilayer module

The transverse thermoelectric generation and cooling performances in a thermopile module composed of recently developed SmCo$_5$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_3$ artificially tilted multilayers are evaluated quantitatively. When a large temperature difference of 405 $^\circ$C is applied to the SmCo$_5$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_3$-based module, the open-circuit voltage and output power reach 0.51 V and 0.80 W, respectively. The corresponding maximum power density is 0.16 W/cm$^2$, even if the power is normalized by the device area including areas that do not contribute to the power generation, such as epoxy resin, electrodes, and insulating layers. The maximum energy conversion efficiency for our module in this condition is experimentally determined to be 0.92%. Under the cooling operation, the same module exhibits the maximum temperature difference of 9.0 $^\circ$C and heat flow at the cold side of 1.6 W. Although these values are lower than the ideal thermoelectric performance expected from the material parameters due to the imperfections associated with modularization, the systematic investigations reported here clarify a potential of the SmCo$_5$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_3$ artificially tilted multilayers as thermoelectric generators and cooling devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Simultaneous achievement of large anomalous Nernst effect and reduced thermal conductivity in sintered polycrystalline topological Heusler ferromagnets

This study reports the observation of the large anomalous Nernst effect in polycrystalline ferromagnetic Co$_{2}$MnGa (CMG) slabs prepared by a spark plasma sintering method. By optimizing the sintering conditions, the anomalous Nernst coefficient reaches ~7.5 $μ$V K$^{-1}$ at room temperature, comparable to the highest value reported in the single-crystalline CMG slabs. Owing to the sizable anomalous Nernst coefficient and reduced thermal conductivity, the dimensionless figure of merit in our optimized CMG slab shows the record-high value of ~8$\times$10$^{-4}$ at room temperature. With the aid of the nano/microstructure characterization and first-principles phonon calculation, this study discusses the dependence of the transport properties on the degree of crystalline ordering and morphology of crystal-domain boundaries in the sintered CMG slabs. The results reveal a potential of polycrystalline topological materials for transverse thermoelectric applications, enabling the construction of large-scale modules.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

High-throughput development of flexible amorphous materials showing large anomalous Nernst effect via automatic annealing and thermoelectric imaging

This work demonstrates high-throughput screening of flexible magnetic materials for efficient transverse thermoelectric conversion based on the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE). The approach integrates automated annealing and contactless measurement of transport properties using lock-in thermography. We screen 151 Fe-based alloy ribbons with varying compositions and annealing conditions. Seven high-performance candidates with mechanical flexibility are identified, exhibiting anomalous Nernst coefficients of up to 4.8 uV/K, the highest value reported for flexible materials. Structural analysis reveals that ANE enhancement occurs universally near the first crystallization temperature of the Fe-based ribbons, without strong correlation with composition. Notably, the enhancement is also observed in samples without Cu or Fe nanoclusters, indicating that short-range atomic order in the amorphous matrix may play a role in ANE. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of high-throughput methodologies for discovering advanced ANE materials and provide new insights into thermoelectric conversion in disordered systems where conventional design principles fall short.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Study of magneto-thermal resistance effect in a Co50Fe50/Cu multilayer through the analysis of electron and lattice thermal conductivities

This study investigates the giant magneto-thermal resistance (GMTR) effect in a fully-bcc epitaxial Co50Fe50/Cu multilayer through both experimental and theoretical approaches. The applied magnetic field results in a giant change of the cross-plane thermal conductivity (Δ\k{appa}) of 37 W m-1 K-1, which reaches 1.5 times larger than the previously reported value for a magnetic multilayer and record the highest value at room temperature among the other solid-state thermal switching materials working on different principles. We investigated the electron thermal conductivity for exploring the remarkable Δ\k{appa} by the two-current-series-resistor model combined with the Wiedemann-Franz (WF) law. However, the result shows the electron contribution accounts for only 35% of the Δ\k{appa}, indicating the presence of additional spin-dependent heat carriers. Further investigation of the lattice thermal conductivity, which is expected to be spin-independent, using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations suggests a striking contrast: the additional spin-dependent heat carrier contribution is significantly enhanced in the parallel magnetization configuration but nearly negligible in the antiparallel configuration. These findings provide a fundamental insight into the origin of large GMTR effect and highlight its potential of active thermal management technologies for future electronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Multifunctional composite magnet realizing record-high transverse thermoelectric generation

Permanent magnets are used in various products and essential for human society. If omnipresent permanent magnets could directly convert heat into electricity, they would lead to innovative energy harvesting and thermal management technologies. However, achieving such "multifunctionality" has been difficult due to poor thermoelectric performance of conventional magnets. In this work, we develop a multifunctional composite magnet (MCM) that enables giant transverse thermoelectric conversion while possessing permanent magnet features. MCM comprising alternately and obliquely stacked SmCo$_{5}$/Bi$_{0.2}$Sb$_{1.8}$Te$_{3}$ multilayers exhibits an excellent transverse thermoelectric performance at room temperature by optimizing its anisotropic structure. Owing to the extremely low interfacial electrical and thermal resistivities, the experimentally determined figure of merit $z_{\rm xy}T$ reaches 0.20 close to the analytically calculated ideal value. The MCM-based thermopile module generates 204 mW in maximum at a temperature difference of 152 K, whose power density normalized by heat transfer area and temperature gradient is not only record-high among transverse thermoelectric modules but also comparable to that of commercial thermoelectric modules utilizing the Seebeck effect. The multifunctionality of our MCM provides unprecedented opportunities for energy harvesting and thermal management everywhere permanent magnets are currently used.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Observation of transverse Thomson effect

The thermoelectric Thomson effect, predicted in the 1850s by William Thomson, produces volumetric heating/cooling in a conductor due to the concerted action of the Seebeck and Peltier effects. Recently, transverse thermoelectrics studies on the Nernst and Ettingshausen effects have progressed rapidly to enable versatile thermal management technologies and to explore topological transport properties. However, a transverse Thomson effect, arising from the concerted action of the Nernst and Ettingshausen effects, has not yet been observed. Here, we report the observation of the transverse Thomson effect in a conductor. We observed volumetric heating/cooling in a semimetallic Bi$_{88}$Sb$_{12}$ alloy induced by a charge current, temperature gradient, and magnetic field applied orthogonally to each other using thermoelectric imaging techniques. We found that the heating/cooling can be switched by the field direction. Our experiments and analyses reveal the essential difference between the conventional and transverse Thomson effects; the former depends sorely on the temperature derivative of the Seebeck coefficient, while the latter depends not only on the temperature derivative of the Nernst coefficient but also on its magnitude. The observation of the transverse Thomson effect fills a missing piece in the history of thermoelectrics and provides a new principle for active thermal management technologies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Quantitative noncontact measurement of thermal Hall angle and transverse thermal conductivity by lock-in thermography

We propose and demonstrate a quantitative noncontact measurement method for the thermal Hall effect (THE) based on magnetic-field-modulated lock-in thermography. This method enables visualization of THE-induced temperature change and quantitative estimation of the thermal Hall angle $θ_{\rm THE}$ by applying periodic magnetic fields to a sample and obtaining the first harmonic response of thermal images. By combining this method with LIT-based measurement techniques for the longitudinal thermal conductivity $κ_{xx}$, we also quantify the transverse thermal conductivity $κ_{xy}$. We validate our measurement methods by estimating $θ_{\rm THE}$, $κ_{xx}$, and $κ_{xy}$ in a ferromagnetic Heusler alloy Co$_2$MnGa slab showing large THE.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗