arXiv subjects

Yuji Matsuda

Publications and source records attributed to Yuji Matsuda.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Exotic Superconducting States in FeSe-based Materials

High-temperature superconductivity and a wide variety of exotic superconducting states discovered in FeSe-based materials have been at the frontier of research on condensed matter physics over the past decade. Unique properties originating from the multiband electronic structure, strongly orbital-dependent phenomena, extremely small Fermi energy, electronic nematicity, and topological aspects give rise to many distinct and fascinating superconducting states. Here, we provide an overview of our current understanding of the superconductivity of {\it bulk} FeSe-based materials, focusing on FeSe and the isovalent substituted FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_{x}$ and FeSe$_{1-x}$Te$_{x}$. We discuss the highly nontrivial superconducting properties in FeSe, including extremely anisotropic pairing states, crossover phenomena from Bardeen--Cooper--Schrieffer (BCS) to Bose--Einstein condensation (BEC) states, a novel field-induced superconducting phase, and broken time-reversal symmetry. We also discuss the evolution of the superconducting gap function with sulfur and tellurium doping, paying particular attention to the impact of quantum critical nematic fluctuations and the topological superconductivity. FeSe-based materials provide an excellent playground to study various exotic superconducting states.

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arXiv2019

Reciprocity between local moments and collective magnetic excitations in the phase diagram of BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$

Unconventional superconductivity arises at the border between the strong coupling regime with local magnetic moments and the weak coupling regime with itinerant electrons, and stems from the physics of criticality that dissects the two. Unveiling the nature of the quasiparticles close to quantum criticality is fundamental to understand the phase diagram of quantum materials. Here, using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) and Fe-K$_β$ emission spectroscopy (XES), we visualize the coexistence and evolution of local magnetic moments and collective spin excitations across the superconducting dome in isovalently-doped BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ (0.00$\leq$x$\leq0.$52). Collective magnetic excitations resolved by RIXS are gradually hardened, whereas XES reveals a strong suppression of the local magnetic moment upon doping. This relationship is captured by an intermediate coupling theory, explicitly accounting for the partially localized and itinerant nature of the electrons in Fe pnictides. Finally, our work identifies a local-itinerant spin fluctuations channel through which the local moments transfer spin excitations to the particle-hole (paramagnons) continuum across the superconducting dome.

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arXiv2019

Universal relationship between low-energy antiferromagnetic fluctuations and superconductivity in BaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$

To identify the key parameter for optimal superconductivity in iron pnictides, we measured the $^{31}$P-NMR relaxation rate on BaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$ ($x = 0.22$ and 0.28) under pressure and compared the effects of chemical substitution and physical pressure. For $x = 0.22$, structural and antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition temperatures both show minimal changes with pressure up to 2.4~GPa, whereas the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ increases to twice its former value. In contrast, for $x=0.28$ near the AFM quantum critical point (QCP), the structural phase transition is quickly suppressed by pressure and $T_{\rm c}$ reaches a maximum. The analysis of the temperature-dependent nuclear relaxation rate indicates that these contrasting behaviors can be quantitatively explained by a single curve of the $T_{\rm c}$ dome as a function of Weiss temperature $θ$, which measures the distance to the QCP. Moreover, the $T_{\rm c}$-$θ$ curve under pressure precisely coincides with that with chemical substitution, which is indicative of the existence of a universal relationship between low-energy AFM fluctuations and superconductivity on BaFe$_{2}$(As$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$)$_{2}$.

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arXiv2019

Photo-induced Superconducting State with Long-lived Disproportionate Band Filling in FeSe

Photo-excitation is a very powerful way to instantaneously drive a material into a novel quantum state without any fabrication, and variable ultrafast techniques have been developed to observe how electron-, lattice-, and spin-degrees of freedom change. One of the most spectacular phenomena is photo-induced superconductivity, and it has been suggested in cuprates that the transition temperature Tc can be enhanced from original Tc with significant lattice modulations. Here we show another photo-induced high-Tc superconducting state in the iron-based superconductor FeSe with semi-metallic hole and electron bands. The transient electronic state in the entire Brillouin zone is directly observed by the time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy using extreme ultraviolet pulses obtained from high harmonic generation. Our results of dynamical behaviors on timescales from 50 fs to 800 ps consistently support the favorable superconducting state after photo-excitation well above Tc. This finding demonstrates that multiband iron-based superconductors emerge as an alternative candidate for photo-induced superconductors.

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arXiv2019

Modification of magnetic fluctuations by interfacial interactions in artificially engineered heavy-fermion superlattices

Recent progress in the fabrication techniques of superlattices (SLs) has made it possible to sandwich several-layer-thick block layers (BLs) of heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 between conventional-metal YbCoIn5 BLs or spin-density-wave-metal CeRhIn5 BLs of a similar thickness. However, the magnetic state in each BL, particularly at the interface, is not yet understood, as experimental techniques applicable to the SL system are limited. Here, we report measurements of 59Co nuclear magnetic resonance, which is a microscopic probe of the magnetic properties inside the target BLs. In the CeCoIn5/YbCoIn5 SL, the low-temperature magnetic fluctuations of the CeCoIn5 BL are weakened as expected from the Rashba spin-orbit effect. However, in the CeCoIn5/CeRhIn5 SL, the fluctuations show an anomalous enhancement below 6 K, highlighting the importance of the magnetic proximity effect occurring near a magnetic-ordering temperature TN ~ 3 K of the CeRhIn5 BL. We suggest that the magnetic properties of the BLs can be altered by the interfacial interaction, which is an alternative route to modify the magnetic properties.

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arXiv2019

$^{77}$Se-NMR Study under Pressure on 12%-S Doped FeSe

The 12%-S doped FeSe system has a high Tc of 30 K at a pressure of 3.0 GPa. We have successfully investigated its microscopic properties for the first time via $^{77}$Se-NMR measurements under pressure. The antiferromagnetic (AFM) fluctuations at the optimal pressure (~3 GPa) exhibited unexpected suppression compared with the AFM fluctuations at ambient pressure, even though the optimal pressure is close to the phase boundary of the AFM phase induced at the high-pressure region. In addition, we revealed that the SC phase at an applied field of 6.02 T exhibited a remarkable double-dome structure in the pressure-temperature phase diagram, unlike the SC phase at zero field.

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arXiv2018

Direct Evidence for the Existence of Heavy Quasiparticles in the Magnetically Ordered Phase of CeRhIn$_5$

It is a long-standing important issue in heavy fermion physics whether $f$-electrons are itinerant or localized when the magnetic order occurs. Here we report the {\it in situ} scanning tunneling microscopy observation of the electronic structure in epitaxial thin films of CeRhIn$_5$, a prototypical heavy fermion compound with antiferromagnetic ground state. The conductance spectra above the Néel temperature $T_N$ clearly resolve the energy gap due to the hybridization between local 4$f$ electrons and conduction bands as well as the crystal electric field excitations. These structures persist even below $T_N$. Moreover, an additional dip in the conductance spectra develops due to the antiferromagnetic order. These results provide direct evidence for the presence of itinerant heavy $f$-electrons participating in the Fermi surface even in the magnetically ordered state of CeRhIn$_5$.

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arXiv2018

In Situ STM Observation of Nonmagnetic Impurity Effect in MBE-grown CeCoIn$_5$ Films

Local electronic effects in the vicinity of an impurity provide pivotal insight into the origin of unconventional superconductivity, especially when the materials are located on the edge of magnetic instability. In high-temperature cuprate superconductors, a strong suppression of superconductivity and appearance of low-energy bound states are clearly observed near nonmagnetic impurities. However, whether these features are common to other strongly correlated superconductors has not been established experimentally. Here, we report the {$in$} {$situ$} scanning tunneling microscopy observation of electronic structure around a nonmagnetic Zn impurity in heavy-fermion CeCo(In$_{1-x}$Zn$_x$)$_5$ films, which are epitaxially grown by the state-of-the-art molecular beam epitaxy technique. The films have very wide atomically flat terraces and Zn atoms residing on two different In sites are clearly resolved. Remarkably, no discernible change is observed for the superconducting gap at and around the Zn atoms. Moreover, the local density of states around Zn atoms shows little change inside the $c$-$f$ hybridization gap, which is consistent with calculations for a periodic Anderson model without local magnetic order. These results indicate that no nonsuperconducting region is induced around a Zn impurity and do not support the scenario of antiferromagnetic droplet formation suggested by indirect measurements in Cd-doped CeCoIn$_5$. These results also highlight a significant difference of the impurity effect between cuprates and CeCoIn$_5$, in both of which $d$-wave superconductivity arises from the non-Fermi liquid normal state near antiferromagnetic instabilities.

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arXiv2017

Magnetic and superconducting properties of the heavy-fermion CeCoIn5 epitaxial film probed by nuclear quadrupole resonance

Since the progress in the fabrication techniques of thin-films of exotic materials such as strongly correlated heavy-fermion compounds, microscopic studies of the magnetic and electronic properties inside the films have been needed. Herein, we report the first observation of 115In nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) in an epitaxial film of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5, for which the microscopic field gradient within the unit cell as well as magnetic and superconducting properties at zero field are evaluated. We find that the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate in the film is in excellent agreement with that of bulk crystals, whereas the NQR spectra show noticeable shifts and significant broadening indicating a change in the electric-field distribution inside the film. The analysis implies a displacement of In layers in the film, which however does not affect the magnetic fluctuations and superconducting pairing. This implies that inhomogeneity of the electronic field gradient in the film sample causes no pair breaking effect.

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arXiv2017

Impact of Disorder on the Superconducting Phase Diagram in BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$

In many classes of unconventional superconductors, the question of whether the superconductivity is enhanced by the quantum-critical fluctuations on the verge of an ordered phase remains elusive. One of the most direct ways of addressing this issue is to investigate how the superconducting dome traces a shift of the ordered phase. Here, we study how the phase diagram of the iron-based superconductor BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ changes with disorder via electron irradiation, which keeps the carrier concentrations intact. With increasing disorder, we find that the magneto-structural transition is suppressed, indicating that the critical concentration is shifted to the lower side. Although the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ is depressed at high concentrations ($x\gtrsim$0.28), it shows an initial increase at lower $x$. This implies that the superconducting dome tracks the shift of the antiferromagnetic phase, supporting the view of the crucial role played by quantum-critical fluctuations in enhancing superconductivity in this iron-based high-$T_c$ family.

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arXiv2016

Quasiparticle Excitations in the Superconducting State of FeSe Probed by Thermal Hall Conductivity in the Vicinity of the BCS-BEC Crossover

There is growing evidence that the superconducting semimetal FeSe ($T_c\sim8$ K) is in the crossover regime between weak-coupling Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and strong-coupling Bose-Einstein-condensate (BEC) limits. We report on longitudinal and transverse thermal conductivities, $κ_{xx}$ and $κ_{xy}$, respectively, in magnetic fields up to 20 T. The field dependences of $κ_{xx}$ and $κ_{xy}$ imply that a highly anisotropic small superconducting gap forms at the electron Fermi-surface pocket whereas a more isotropic and larger gap forms at the hole pocket. Below $\sim1.0$ K, both $κ_{xx}$ and $κ_{xy}$ exhibit distinct anomalies (kinks) at the upper critical field $H_{c2}$ and at a field $H^*$ slightly below $H_{c2}$. The analysis of the thermal Hall angle ($κ_{xy}/κ_{xx}$) indicates a change of the quasiparticle scattering rate at $H^*$. These results provide strong support to the previous suggestion that above $H^*$ a distinct field-induced superconducting phase emerges with an unprecedented large spin imbalance.

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arXiv2016

Emergence of nontrivial magnetic excitations in a spin liquid state of kagome volborthite

When quantum fluctuations destroy underlying long-range ordered states, novel quantum states emerge. Spin-liquid (SL) states of frustrated quantum antiferromagnets, in which highly-correlated spins keep to fluctuate down to very low temperatures, are prominent examples of such quantum states. SL states often exhibit exotic physical properties, but the precise nature of the elementary excitations behind such phenomena remains entirely elusive. Here we utilize thermal Hall measurements that can capture the unexplored property of the elementary excitations in SL states, and report on the observation of anomalous excitations that may unveil the unique features of the SL state. Our principal finding is a negative thermal Hall conductivity (k_xy) which the charge-neutral spin excitations in a gapless SL state of the two-dimensional kagome insulator volborthite Cu_3V_2O_7(OH)_2 \cdot 2H_2O exhibit, in much the same way in which charged electrons give rise to the conventional electric Hall effect. We find that k_xy is absent in the high-temperature paramagnetic state and develops upon entering the SL state in accordance with the growth of the short-range spin correlations, demonstrating that k_xy is a key signature of the elementary excitation formed in the SL state. These results suggest the emergence of nontrivial elementary excitations in the gapless SL state which feel the presence of fictitious magnetic flux, whose effective Lorentz force is found to be less than 1/100 of that experienced by free electrons.

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arXiv2016

From Kondo Lattices to Kondo Superlattices

Realizing new classes of ground states in strongly correlated electron systems continues to be at the forefront of condensed matter physics. Heavy-fermion materials, whose electronic structure is essentially three-dimensional, are one of the most suitable systems for obtaining novel electronic states because they demonstrate many fascinating properties. Recently, a state-of-the-art MBE technique has been developed to reduce the dimensionality of the heavy electrons by fabricating heavy fermion superlattices, which can produce new electronic states present in two-dimensional (2D) heavy fermion system. In superlattices of antiferromagnetic heavy fermion CeIn3 and conventional metal LaIn3, the magnetic order is suppressed by reducing the thickness of the CeIn3 layers. The 2D confinement of heavy fermion also leads to the enhancement of the effective mass and the deviation from the Fermi liquid properties, which are associated with the dimensional tuning of quantum criticality. In superconducting superlattices of heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 and nonmagnetic metal YbCoIn5, superconductivity is realized even at one-unit-cell-thick layer of CeCoIn5. The thickness reduction of the CeCoIn5 layers drastically changes the temperature and angular dependencies of the upper critical field. This result would be attributed to a suppression of the Pauli pair-breaking effect through the local inversion symmetry breaking (ISB) at the interfaces of CeCoIn5 block layers. The importance of the ISB in this system has also been supported by site-selective nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In addition, recent experiment of CeCoIn5/YbCoIn5 superlattices have shown that the degree of the ISB are controllable, which offers the prospect of achieving even more fascinating superconducting states. These Kondo superlattices, thus, pave the way for exploring unusual metallic and superconducting states.

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arXiv2016

Magnetotransport study of the pressure-induced antiferromagnetic phase in FeSe

The resistivity $ρ$ and Hall resistivity $ρ_H$ are measured on FeSe at pressures up to $P$ = 28.3 kbar in magnetic fields up to $B$ = 14.5 T. The $ρ(B)$ and $ρ_H(B)$ curves are analyzed with multicarrier models to estimate the carrier density and mobility as a function of $P$ and temperature ($ T\leqslant$ 110 K). It is shown that the pressure-induced antiferromagnetic transition is accompanied by an abrupt reduction of the carrier density and scattering. This indicates that the electronic structure is reconstructed significantly by the antiferromagnetic order.

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arXiv2016

Fermi surface reconstruction in FeSe under high pressure

We report Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation measurements on FeSe under high pressure up to $P$ = 16.1 kbar. We find a sudden change in SdH oscillations at the onset of the pressure-induced antiferromagnetism at $P$ $\sim$ 8 kbar. We argue that this change can be attributed to a reconstruction of the Fermi surface by the antiferromagnetic order. The negative d$T_c$/d$P$ observed in a range between $P$ $\sim$ 8 and 12 kbar may be explained by the reduction in the density of states due to the reconstruction. The ratio of the transition temperature to the effective Fermi energy remains high under high pressure: $k_BT_c/E_F$ $\sim$ 0.1 even at $P$ = 16.1 kbar.

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arXiv2015

Charge Carrier Dynamics of the Heavy Fermion Metal CeCoIn$_5$ Probed by THz Spectroscopy

We discuss the charge carrier dynamics of the heavy-fermion compound CeCoIn$_5$ in the metallic regime measured by means of quasi-optical THz spectroscopy. The transmittance of electromagnetic radiation through a CeCoIn$_5$ thin film on a dielectric substrate is analyzed in the single-particle Drude framework. We discuss the temperature dependence of the electronic properties, such as the scattering time and dc-conductivity and compare with transport measurements of the sheet resistance. Towards low temperatures, we find an increasing mismatch between the results from transport and Drude-analyzed optical measurements and a growing incapability of the simple single-particle picture describing the charge dynamics, likely caused by the evolving heavy-fermion nature of the correlated electron system.

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arXiv2015

Enhancement of critical current density and mechanism of vortex pinning in H$^+$-irradiated FeSe single crystal

In this report, we comprehensively study the effect of H$^+$ irradiation on the critical current density, $J_c$, and vortex pinning in FeSe single crystal. It is found that the value of $J_c$ for FeSe is enhanced more than twice after 3-MeV H$^+$ irradiation. The scaling analyses of the vortex pinning force based on the Dew-Hughes model reveal that the H$^+$ irradiation successfully introduce point pinning centers into the crystal. We also find that the vortex creep rates are strongly suppressed after irradiation. Detailed analyses of the critical current dependent pinning energy based on the collective creep theory and extend Maley's method show that the H$^+$ irradiation enhances the value of $J_c$ before the flux creep, and also reduces the size of flux bundle, which will further reduce the field dependence of $J_c$ due to vortex motion.

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arXiv2015

The interface between heavy fermions and normal electrons investigated by spatially-resolved nuclear magnetic resonance

We have studied the superlattices with alternating block layers (BLs) of heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 and conventional-metal YbCoIn5 by site-selective nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy, which uniquely offers spatially-resolved dynamical magnetic information. We find that the presence of antiferromagnetic fluctuations is confined to the Ce-BLs, indicating that magnetic degrees of freedom of f-electrons are quenched inside the Yb-BLs. Contrary to simple expectations that the two-dimensionalization enhances fluctuations, we observe that antiferromagnetic fluctuations are rapidly suppressed with decreasing Ce-BL thickness. Moreover, the suppression is more prominent near the interfaces between the BLs. These results imply significant effects of local inversion-symmetry breaking at the interfaces.

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