arXiv subjects

Yasuhiro Niimi

Publications and source records attributed to Yasuhiro Niimi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Significant modulation of acoustoelectric current associated with charge density wave transitions

We studied acoustoelectric (AE) currents in materials that undergo charge density wave (CDW) transitions, induced by a surface acoustic wave (SAW) on a piezoelectric substrate. The polarity and magnitude of the AE current in NbSe$_3$ and 2H-TaSe$_2$ were modulated due to their CDW transitions. We also found that the sign of the AE current depends on the SAW propagation direction with respect to the crystalline axis of the substrate.A phenomenological model assuming strain-modified conductivity can qualitatively account for the significant modulation of the AE current associated with the CDW transition, as well as the SAW propagation orientation dependence. The present results offer a powerful probe for exploring SAW-electron interactions in van der Waals materials, thereby highlighting their potential for advancing the emerging field of straintronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Raman spectroscopy of van der Waals topological magnet GdGaI

We report polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy of a van der Waals compound GdGaI that is a candidate for excitonic insulators. By combining the symmetry analysis with density functional theory calculations, we identify six Raman-active phonons. The spectra exhibit only the expected anharmonic hardening down to 4 K: no additional peaks, no soft modes, and no signatures of zone folding are observed. This result indicates that any lattice distortion is below our experimental sensitivity, supporting an electronically driven origin for the band reconstruction reported by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy rather than an electron-phonon-driven mechanism. Moreover, we observe a pronounced circular dichroism of the $A_{1g}$ modes under an out-of-plane magnetic field. Based on symmetry considerations, we attribute this dichroic response to chiral $A_{1g}$ phonons with opposite angular momenta generated by spin-phonon coupling in the time-reversal-broken state. The temperature evolution of the degree of circular polarization further suggests that circularly polarized Raman spectroscopy detects the emergence of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations. Our results highlight GdGaI as a promising platform in which excitonic order, magnetism, and circularly polarized phonons can be intertwined, and demonstrate that circular-polarization Raman provides a sensitive probe of spin-phonon coupling in excitonic systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Impact of the out-of-plane conductivity on spin transport evaluation in a van der Waals material

Layered materials are promising candidates for spintronic applications due to their unique electronic structures and spin transport properties. However, the strong anisotropic conductivity inherent in these materials complicates the quantitative evaluation of spin Hall conductivity and spin diffusion length. In this work, we present a comprehensive study of spin transport in a transition metal dichalcogenide PtTe$_2$ by combining a three-dimensional finite element model with nonlocal spin valve structures. We developed a theoretical model that treats an anisotropic spin diffusion in the same way as the conventional isotropic model, enabling the extraction of spin diffusion lengths along both the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. Our analysis revealed that the conventional isotropic assumption tends to overestimate some values, particularly for the out-of-plane spin diffusion length and spin Hall conductivity. These findings provide new insight into anisotropic spin diffusion and spin-charge conversions in layered materials and emphasize the importance of accounting for anisotropic conductivity in the design of spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Spin Hall effect in van der Waals ferromagnet Fe$_{5}$GeTe$_{2}$

We investigate the spin Hall effect (SHE) in a van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnet Fe$_{5}$GeTe$_{2}$ (FGT) with a Curie temperature $T_{\rm C}$ of 310 K utilizing the spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance method. In synchronization with the emergence of the ferromagnetic phase resulting in the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), a noticeable enhancement in the SHE was observed below $T_{\rm C}$. On the other hand, the SHE shows a different temperature dependence from the AHE: the effective spin Hall conductivity is clearly enhanced with decreasing temperature unlike the anomalous Hall conductivity, reflecting the variation of band-structure accompanied by the complicated magnetic ordering of the FGT. The results provide a deep understanding of the SHE in magnetic materials to open a new route for novel functionalities in vdW materials-based spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Observation of Shapiro Steps in the Charge Density Wave State Induced by Strain on a Piezoelectric Substrate

Recent development in nanotechnology has enabled us to investigate the dynamic properties of van der Waals materials on a piezoelectric substrate. Here we report on the dynamics of charge density wave (CDW) in NbSe$_{3}$ nanowires induced by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). Clear peaks in the differential resistance were observed at the resonant frequency of the SAW device. These peaks known as Shapiro steps are typically observed by applying an rf current to NbSe$_{3}$ nanowires. We found that the Shapiro steps induced by SAWs show several distinct features from the ones induced by an rf current. Our detailed study revealed that a strain induced by SAWs plays a significant role in the Shapiro steps. The result clearly demonstrates the importance of the strain in CDW materials and paves the way for strain-induced device applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Observation of the crossover from quantum fluxoid to half-quantum fluxoid in a chiral superconducting device

Topological superconductors are one of the intriguing material groups from the viewpoint of not only condensed matter physics but also industrial application such as quantum computers based on Majorana fermion. For the real application, developments of the thin-film topological superconductors are highly desirable. Bi/Ni bilayer is a possible candidate for thin-film chiral superconductors where the time-reversal symmetry is broken. Here we report the phase shift of resistance oscillations by half flux quantum in a ring-shaped device of epitaxial Bi/Ni bilayer induced by a small magnetic field through the ring. The half quantum fluxoid can be a decisive evidence for unconventional superconductors where the superconducting order parameter has an internal degree of freedom. The present result provides a functional operating principle for quantum devices where the phase of the supercurrent can be shifted by \pi with a small magnetic field, based on the internal degree of freedom possessed by topological superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Generation of a single-cycle surface acoustic wave pulse on LiNbO$_3$ for application to thin film materials

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology has been explored in thin-film materials to discover fundamental phenomena and to investigate their physical properties. It is used to excite and manipulate quasi-particles such as phonons or magnons, and can dynamically modulate the properties of the materials. In the field, SAWs are typically excited by a continuous wave at a resonant frequency. Recently, generation of a single-cycle SAW pulse has been demonstrated on GaAs substrate. Such a SAW pulse provides a potential to access a single quasi-particle excitation and to investigate its dynamics by time-resolved measurements. On the other hand, to modulate and control the properties of thin film materials, it is generally required to generate high-intensity SAWs. In this work, we demonstrate the efficient generation of a SAW pulse using a chirp interdigital transducer (IDT) on LiNbO$_3$ substrate. We have fabricated chirp IDT devices with bandwidths from 0.5 GHz to 5.5 GHz. We also confirmed the generation of a SAW pulse with 0.3 ns FWHM (full width at half maximum) by performing time-resolved measurements. The conversion efficiency between input power and SAW on LiNbO$_3$ substrate is approximately 45 times larger than that on GaAs substrate. This enables us to generate a high-intensity SAW pulse, meeting the requirement for the modulation of thin films. Our results will expand the research in the field, such as spintronics and magnonics, and lead to their further advancements.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Spin phase detection by spin current in a chiral helimagnet

Helimagnets, characterized by a helical arrangement of magnetic moments, possess unique internal degrees of freedom, including the spin phase, defined by the phase of the helical magnetic structure. Electrical detection of the spin phase is essential for both practical applications and fundamental research in helimagnets. Here, we demonstrate the electrical detection of the spin phase in a van der Waals nanoscale chiral helimagnet CrNb$_3$S$_6$ using nonlocal spin valve measurements. Due to the short spin diffusion length in CrNb$_3$S$_6$ ($\sim5$~nm), the surface magnetic moment direction, which corresponds to the spin phase, can be detected via spin currents. The experimentally observed magnetic field dependence of the nonlocal spin valve signal is consistent with that of the surface magnetic moment in the helical magnetic structure, as supported by micromagnetic simulations. Our results establish spin currents as a powerful tool for detecting the spin phase in helimagnets, opening avenues for utilizing the spin phase as a novel internal degree of freedom in nanoscale spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Magnetotransport properties in van-der-Waals \textit{\textbf{R}}Te$_{3}$ (\textit{\textbf{R}} = La, Ce, Tb)

Rare-earth tritellurides are van-der-Waals antiferromagnets which have been attracting attention as materials not only with high mobility, but also with various states such as superconductivity under high pressure, incommensurate charge-density-wave (CDW) phase, and multiple antiferromagnetic phases. In this work, we performed longitudinal resistivity and Hall resistivity measurements simultaneously in exfoliated $R$Te$_{3}$ ($R$ =La, Ce, Tb) thin film devices, in order to investigate the influence of magnetic ordering on transport properties in van-der-Waals magnetic materials. We have obtained carrier mobility and concentration using a two-band model, and have observed an increase in carrier mobility in the antiferromagnets CeTe$_{3}$ and TbTe$_{3}$ due to the magnetic transition. Especially in CeTe$_{3}$, the carrier concentration has changed drastically below the magnetic transition temperature, suggesting the interaction between the CDW and antiferromagnetic phases. In addition, the analysis of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in CeTe$_{3}$ supports the possibility of Fermi surface modulation by magnetic ordering. This research will pave the way not only for spintronic devices that take advantage of high mobility, but also for the study of the correlation between CDW and magnetism states in low-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Higher harmonic resistance oscillations in micro-bridge superconducting Nb ring

We studied resistance oscillations in two types of superconducting mesoscopic Nb rings. In a simple superconducting ring device, a resistance oscillation with a period of the quantized magnetic flux h/2e was clearly observed. On the other hand, in a micro-bridge ring device where two-narrow parts are embedded in parallel and work as superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junctions, higher harmonic resistance oscillations were obtained when the measurement current was well-tuned. We argue that such higher harmonic resistance oscillations can be detected even in the micro-bridge Nb superconducting ring device where the device size is much larger than the coherence length of Nb.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Thickness-induced crossover from strong to weak collective pinning in exfoliated FeTe$_{0.6}$Se$_{0.4}$ thin films at 1 T

We studied flux pinning in exfoliated FeTe$_{0.6}$Se$_{0.4}$ thin-film devices with a thickness $d$ from 30 to 150 nm by measuring the critical current density $J_{\mathrm{c}}$. In bulk FeTe$_{0.6}$Se$_{0.4}$, the flux pinning has been discussed in the framework of weak collective pinning, while there is little knowledge on the pinning mechanism in the thin-film region. From the thickness $d$ dependence of $J_{\mathrm{c}}$ at a fixed magnetic field of 1 T, we found that the strong pinning is dominant below $d \approx 70$ nm, while the weak collective pinning becomes more important above $d \approx 100$ nm. This crossover thickness can be explained by the theoretical model proposed by van der Beek $\textit{et al}$ [Phys. Rev. B. ${\bf 66}$, 024523 (2002)].

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Negative correlation between the linear and the nonlinear conductance in magnetic tunnel junctions

The current-voltage ($IV$) characteristics beyond the linear response regime of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is systematically investigated. We find a clear negative correlation between the two coefficients to characterize the linear ($I$$\propto$$V$) and the lowest-order nonlinear ($I$$\propto$$V^3$) currents, which holds regardless of the temperature and the thickness of the tunnel barrier. This observation cannot simply be explained by the standard tunneling model such as the Brinkman model, suggesting a mechanism intrinsic to MTJ. We propose a phenomenological model based on the Julliére model that attributes the observed negative correlation to the spin-flip tunneling assisted by a magnon. These results suggest a fundamental law between the linear and the nonlinear response of MTJ.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Spin treacle in a frustrated magnet observed with spin current

By means of spin current, the flow of spin angular momentum, we find a regime of "spin treacle" in a frustrated magnetic system. To establish its existence, we have performed spin transport measurements in nanometer-scale spin glasses. At temperatures high enough that the magnetic moments fluctuate at high frequencies, the spin Hall angle, the conversion yield between spin current and charge current, is independent of temperature. The spin Hall angle starts to decrease at a certain temperature $T^{*}$ and completely vanishes at a lower temperature. We argue that the latter corresponds to the spin freezing temperature $T_{\rm f}$ of the nanometer-scale spin glass, where the direction of conduction electron spin is randomized by the exchange coupling with the localized moments. The present experiment \textit{quantitatively} verifies the existence of a distinct "spin treacle" between $T_{\rm f}$ and $T^{*}$. We have also quantified a time scale of fluctuation of local magnetic moments in the spin treacle from the spin relaxation time of conduction electrons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Butterfly-shaped magnetoresistance in triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Ag$_2$CrO$_2$

Spintronic devices using antiferromagnets (AFMs) are promising candidates for future applications. Recently, many interesting physical properties have been reported with AFM-based devices. Here we report a butterfly-shaped magnetoresistance (MR) in a micrometer-sized triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Ag$_2$CrO$_2$. The material consists of two-dimensional triangular-lattice CrO$_2$ layers with antiferromagnetically coupled $S$ = 3/2 spins and Ag$_2$ layers with high electrical conductivity. The butterfly-shaped MR appears only when the magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the CrO$_2$ plane with the maximum MR ratio ($\approx$ 15%) at the magnetic ordering temperature. These features are distinct from those observed in conventional magnetic materials. We propose a theoretical model where fluctuations of partially disordered spins with the Ising anisotropy play an essential role in the butterfly-shaped MR in Ag$_2$CrO$_2$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Negative resistance state in superconducting NbSe$_2$ induced by surface acoustic waves

We report a negative resistance, namely, a voltage drop along the opposite direction of a current flow, in the superconducting gap of NbSe$_2$ thin films under the irradiation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The amplitude of the negative resistance becomes larger by increasing the SAW power and decreasing temperature. As one possible scenario, we propose that soliton-antisoliton pairs in the charge density wave of NbSe$_2$ modulated by the SAW serve as a time-dependent capacitance in the superconducting state, leading to the dc negative resistance. The present experimental result would provide a previously unexplored way to examine nonequilibrium manipulation of the superconductivity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Quantum oscillations with magnetic hysteresis observed in CeTe$_{3}$ thin films

We have performed magnetotransport measurements in CeTe$_{3}$ thin films down to $0.2~{\rm K}$. It is known that CeTe$_{3}$ has two magnetic transitions at $T_{\rm N1} \approx 3~{\rm K}$ and $T_{\rm N2} \approx 1~{\rm K}$. A clear Shubnikov-de-Haas (SdH) oscillation was observed at $4~{\rm K}$, demonstrating the strong two-dimensional nature in this material. Below $T_{\rm N2}$, the SdH oscillation has two frequencies, indicating that the Fermi surface could be slightly modulated due to the second magnetic transition. We also observed a magnetic hysteresis in the SdH oscillation below $T_{\rm N1}$. Especially, there is a unique spike in the magnetoresistance at $B \approx 0.6~{\rm T}$ only when the magnetic field is swept from a high enough field (more than $2~{\rm T}$) to zero field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Multiple modes of a single spin torque oscillator under the non-linear region

A numerical investigation is conducted for a single spin-torque oscillator under the non-linear region. A large angle precession triggers the generation of multiple modes without any feedbacked circuits and/or magnetic couplings with neighboring oscillators. Our simulations show that a single eigenmode of a given spin-torque oscillator can trigger up to six discrete modes as the sideband modes. These findings will offer the new functionality to the STO for developing the spintronic logic circuits.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

Etching process of narrow wire and application to tunable-barrier electron pump

Single electron sources have been studied as a device to establish an electric current standard for 30 years and recently as an on-demand coherent source for Fermion quantum optics. In order to construct the single electron source on a GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), it is often necessary to fabricate a sub-micron wire by etching. We have established techniques to make the wire made of the fragile 2DEG by combining photolithography and electron beam lithography with one-step photoresist coating, which enables us to etch fine and coarse structures simultaneously. It has been demonstrated that a single electron source fabricated on the narrow wire pumps fixed number of electrons per one cycle with radio frequency. The fabrication technique improves the lithography process with lower risk to damage the 2DEG and is applicable to etching of other materials and dry etching.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗