arXiv subjects

Yoshiteru Maeno

Publications and source records attributed to Yoshiteru Maeno.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

First-Order Superconducting Transition of Sr2RuO4

By means of the magnetocaloric effect, we examine the nature of the superconducting-normal (S-N) transition of Sr2RuO4, a most promising candidate for a spin-triplet superconductor. We provide thermodynamic evidence that the S-N transition of this oxide is of first order below approximately 0.8 K and only for magnetic field directions very close to the conducting plane, in clear contrast to the ordinary type-II superconductors exhibiting second-order S-N transitions. The entropy release across the transition at 0.2 K is 10% of the normal-state entropy. Our result urges an introduction of a new mechanism to break superconductivity by magnetic field.

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arXiv2012

Superconductivity in La$_3$Pt$_4$

We found superconductivity of intermetallic La$_3$Pt$_4$ below 0.51 K, while searching for the Pt-substituted material of the noncentrosymmetric (NCS) superconductor LaNiC$_2$ ($T_{\rm{c}}=2.7$ K.

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arXiv2012

Quantum oscillations and high carrier mobility in the delafossite PdCoO$_2$

We present de Haas-van Alphen and resistivity data on single crystals of the delafossite PdCoO2. At 295 K we measure an in-plane resistivity of 2.6 μΩ-cm, making PdCoO2 the most conductive oxide known. The low-temperature in-plane resistivity has an activated rather than the usual T^5 temperature dependence, suggesting a gapping of effective scattering that is consistent with phonon drag. Below 10 K, the transport mean free path is 20 \mum, approximately 10^5 lattice spacings and an astoundingly high value for flux-grown crystals. We discuss the origin of these properties in light of our data.

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arXiv2012

Pressure study of the noncentrosymmetric 5d-electron superconductors CaMSi3 (M= Ir, Pt)

We report hydrostatic pressure study on the Rashba-type noncentrosymmetric superconduc- tors CaMSi3 (M= Ir, Pt). The temperature dependence of the resistivity for both compounds is well described by the conventional Bloch-Grüneisen formalism at each pressure. This fact suggests that electron-phonon scattering is dominant in these compounds. The superconducting critical temperature Tc decreases by pressure as \sim 0.2 K/GPa above 0.41 GPa to 2 GPa for both compounds. This behavior of Tc can be explained with a modest decrease of the density of states based on the conventional BCS theory.

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arXiv2011

Nodal Superconducting Order Parameter and Thermodynamic Phase Diagram of (TMTSF)2ClO4

The organic materials (TMTSF)2X are unique unconventional superconductors with archetypal quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) electronic structures. Here, based on our comprehensive field-angle-resolved calorimetry of (TMTSF)2ClO4, we succeeded in mapping the nodal gap structure for the first time in Q1D systems, by discriminating between the Fermi wavevectors and Fermi velocities. In addition, the thermodynamic phase diagrams of (TMTSF)2ClO4 for all principal field directions are obtained. These findings, providing strong evidence of nodal spin-singlet superconductivity, serves as solid bases for further elucidation of anomalous superconducting phenomena in (TMTSF)2X.

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arXiv2011

Evaluation of Spin-Triplet Superconductivity in Sr2RuO4

This review presents a summary and evaluations of the superconducting properties of the layered ruthenate Sr2RuO4 as they are known in the autumn of 2011. This paper appends the main progress that has been made since the preceding review by Mackenzie and Maeno was published in 2003. Here, special focus is placed on the critical evaluation of the spin-triplet, odd-parity pairing scenario applied to Sr2RuO4. After an introduction to superconductors with possible odd-parity pairing, accumulated evidence for the pairing symmetry of Sr2RuO4 is examined. Then, significant recent progress on the theoretical approaches to the superconducting pairing by Coulomb repulsion is reviewed. A section is devoted to some experimental properties of Sr2RuO4 that seem to defy simple explanations in terms of currently available spin-triplet scenario. The next section deals with some new developments using eutectic boundaries and micro-crystals, which reveals novel superconducting phenomena related to chiral edge states, odd-frequency pairing states, and half-fluxoid states. Some of these properties are intimately connected with the properties as a topological superconductor. The article concludes with a summary of knowledge emerged from the study of Sr2RuO4 that are now more widely applied to understand the physics of other unconventional superconductors, as well as with a brief discussion of relatively unexplored but promising areas of ongoing and future studies of Sr2RuO4.

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arXiv2011

Edge states of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ detected by in-plane tunneling spectroscopy

We perform tunneling spectroscopy of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ searching for the edge states peculiar to topological superconductivity. Conductance spectra obtained on Sr$_2$RuO$_4$/Au junctions fabricated using $in$ $situ$ process show broad humps indicating the successful detection of a-axis edge of 1.5K phase. Three types of peak shape are detected: domelike peak, split peak and two-step peak. By comparing the experiments with predictions for unconventional superconductivity, these varieties are shown to originate from multiband chiral p-wave symmetry with weak anisotropy of pair amplitude. The broad hump in conductance spectrum is a direct manifestation of the edge state peculiar to the chiral p-wave superconductivity.

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arXiv2010

Unconventional Anomalous Hall Effect in the Metallic Triangular-Lattice Magnet PdCrO2

We experimentally reveal an unconventional anomalous Hall effect (UAHE) in a quasi-two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnet PdCrO2. Using high quality single crystals of PdCrO2, we found that the Hall resistivity deviates from the conventional behavior below T* = 20 K, noticeably lower than TN = 37.5 K, at which Cr^{3+} (S=3/2) spins order in a 120 degree structure. In view of the theoretical expectation that the spin chirality cancels out in the simplest 120 degree spin structure, we discuss required conditions for the emergence of UAHE within Berry-phase mechanisms.

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arXiv2010

DC Current Driven Critical Current Variation in Sr2RuO4-Ru Junction Proved by Local Transport Measurements

To search for new evidence of the chiral p-wave superconducting domain in Sr2RuO4, we investigated the unconventional local transport characteristics of a microfabricated Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic junction. We found that the anomalous hysteresis in voltage-current characteristics [as reported in H. Kambara et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 (2008) 267003.] is strongly affected by dc currents, but not by magnetic fields. This suggests that dc current acts as a driving force to move chiral p-wave domain walls; a domain wall trapped at a pinning potential is forced to shift to the next stable position, thereby forming a larger critical current path and resulting in the anomalous hysteresis.

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arXiv2010

Higher-Tc superconducting phase in Sr2RuO4 induced by uniaxial pressure

We have investigated uniaxial pressure effect on superconductivity of pure Sr2RuO4, whose intrinsic superconducting transition temperature Tc is 1.5 K. It was revealed that a very low uniaxial pressure along the c axis, only 0.2 GPa, induces superconductivity with the onset Tc above 3 K. The present results indicate that pure Sr2RuO4 has two superconducting phases with Tc = 1.5 K and with varying Tc up to 3.2 K. The latter phase exhibits unusual features and is attributable to anisotropic crystal distortions beyond the elastic limit.

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arXiv2010

Detection of Individual Vortices in Micron-Size Sr2RuO4 Rings by Phase-Locked Cantilever Magnetometry

We describe a feedback-based dynamic cantilever magnetometry technique capable of achieving high magnetic moment sensitivity with low applied fields. Using this technique, we have observed periodic entry of vortices into mesoscopic Sr2RuO4 rings. The quantized jump in the magnetic moment of the particle produced by individual vortices was measured with a resolution of 7x10^-16 e.m.u. at an applied field of 1 Oe.

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arXiv2010

Limits on Superconductivity-Related Magnetization in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ and PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ from Scanning SQUID Microscopy

We present scanning SQUID microscopy data on the superconductors Sr2RuO4 (Tc = 1.5 K) and PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ (Tc = 1.8 K). In both of these materials, superconductivity-related time-reversal symmetry-breaking fields have been observed by muon spin rotation; our aim was to visualize the structure of these fields. However in neither Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ nor PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ do we observe spontaneous superconductivity-related magnetization. In Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, many experimental results have been interpreted on the basis of a $px \pm ipy$ superconducting order parameter. This order parameter is expected to give spontaneous magnetic induction at sample edges and order parameter domain walls. Supposing large domains, our data restrict domain wall and edge fields to no more than ~0.1% and ~0.2% of the expected magnitude, respectively. Alternatively, if the magnetization is of the expected order, the typical domain size is limited to ~30 nm for random domains, or ~500 nm for periodic domains.

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arXiv2010

High Field ESR and Magnetization of the Triangular Lattice Antiferromagnet NiGa2S4

We report the experimental and the analytical results of electron spin resonance (ESR) and magnetization in high magnetic fields up to about 68 T of the quasi two-dimensional triangular lattice antiferromagnet NiGa$_2$S$_4$. From the temperature evolution of the ESR absorption linewidth, we find a distinct disturbing of the development of the spin correlation by $Z_2$-vortices between 23 K and 8.5 K. Below $T_{\rm{v}}=8.5$ K, spin-wave calculations based on a 57$^{\circ}$ spiral spin order well explains the frequency dependence of the ESR resonance fields and high field magnetization processes for $H$$\parallel$$c$ and $H$$\perp$$c$, although the magnetization for $H$$\perp$$c$ at high fields is different from the calculated one. Furthermore, we explain the field independent specific heat with $T^2$-dependence by the same spin-wave calculation, but the magnitude of the specific heat is much less than the observed one. Accordingly, these results suggest the occurrence of a $Z_2$ vortex-induced topological transition at $T_{\rm{v}}$ and may indicate quantum effects beyond the descriptions based on the above classical spin models.

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arXiv2010

Alignment of chiral order parameter domains in Sr_{2} RuO_{4} by magnetic field cooling

Superconductivity in Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$ is unconventional, believed to be of $p_{x}\pm ip_{y}$ pairing symmetry. These two degenerate order parameters allow the formation of chiral domains separated by domain walls. In a Josephson junction formed on the edge of a single crystal of Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$, the chiral domains can create a variation of the phase in the tunneling direction causing interference effects which suppress and modulate the critical current of the junction. Cooling the junction in a magnetic field lifts the degeneracy between the order parameter states and induces a preferential chirality, significantly modifying the phase interference. We present experimental results on Sr$_{2}$RuO$_{4}$/Cu/Pb Josephson junctions cooled in a magnetic field showing a dramatic enhancement of their critical current, giving direct evidence for the presence of chiral domains and their alignment in a magnetic field.

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arXiv2009

Successive phase transitions and phase diagrams of the quasi-two-dimensional triangular antiferromagnet Rb4Mn(MoO4)3

Comprehensive experimental studies by magnetic, thermal and neutron measurements have clarified that Rb4Mn(MoO4)3 is a model system of a quasi-2D triangular Heisenberg antiferromagnet with an easy-axis anisotropy, exhibiting successive transitions across an intermediate collinear phase. As a rare case for geometrically frustrated magnetism, quantitative agreement between experiment and theory is found for complete, anisotropic phase diagrams as well as magnetic properties.

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arXiv2009

Evidence of superconductivity on the border of quasi-2D ferromagnetism in Ca2RuO4 at high pressure

The layered perovskite Ca2RuO4 is a spin-one Mott insulator at ambient pressure and exhibits metallic ferromagnetism at least up to ~ 80 kbar with a maximum Curie temperature of 28 K. Above ~ 90 kbar and up to 140 kbar, the highest pressure reached, the resistivity and ac susceptibility show pronounced downturns below ~ 0.4 K in applied magnetic fields of up to ~10 mT. This indicates that our specimens of Ca2RuO4 are weakly superconducting on the border of a quasi-2D ferromagnetic state.

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arXiv2009

Large Enhancement of 3-K Phase Superconductivity in the Sr2RuO4-Ru Eutectic System by Uniaxial Pressure

While the superconducting transition temperature Tc of Sr2RuO4 is 1.5 K, its onset Tc is enhanced as high as 3 K in the Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic system, which is often referred to as the 3-K phase. We have investigated effects of uniaxial pressure on the non-bulk superconductivity in the 3-K phase. While Tc of pure Sr2RuO4 is known to be suppressed by hydrostatic pressure, a large enhancement of the superconducting volume fraction of the 3-K phase was observed for both out-of-plane and in-plane uniaxial pressures. Especially, under the in-plane pressure, the shielding fraction at 1.8 K of only less than 0.5% at 0 GPa exceeds 40% at 0.4 GPa. Such a large shielding fraction suggests that under the uniaxial pressure interfacial 3-K phase superconductivity penetrates deep into the bulk of Sr2RuO4. The present finding provides a significant implication to the unresolved origin of the enhancement of Tc to 3 K in the Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic system.

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arXiv2009

Suppression of the Mass Enhancement in CaCu3Ru4O12

We have investigated heavy-fermion behavior of the transition-metal oxides ACu3Ru4O12 (A = Na, Ca, La, and their mixtures). It has been known that CaCu3Ru4O12 exhibits Kondo-like behavior attributable to Cu2+ 3d electrons, similar to that of some Ce-based heavy-fermion systems. However, we find striking "suppression" of the mass enhancement in CaCu3Ru4O12, in which the Kondo-like effect is most pronounced. Such decrease of the density of states is reminiscent of the coherent gap formation in Kondo lattice systems. Nevertheless, the behavior can not be interpreted within the conventional Kondo picture with localized moments, because the Cu electrons are apparently itinerant. The present results indicate the importance of the duality of localized and itinerant nature, found also in some other d-electron systems which exhibit the Kondo-like behavior.

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