ABSTRACT
We report the observation of superconductivity in (Pt0.2Ir0.8)3Zr5 with a chiral space group (P6122) at low temperatures. The bulk nature of the superconductivity at a transition temperature of 2.2 K was confirmed using specific heat measurements. We revealed that (Pt0.2Ir0.8)3Zr5 obeys the weak-coupling Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer model, and the dominant mechanism in the upper critical field is the orbital pair-breaking limit rather than the Pauli-Clogston limit. This indicates that the antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling caused by the chiral crystal structure does not significantly affect the superconductivity of (Pt0.2Ir0.8)3Zr5.
ABSTRACT
We investigated the chemical pressure effects on structural and electronic properties of SnTe-based material using partial substitution of Sn by Ag0.5Bi0.5, which results in lattice shrinkage. For Sn1-2x(AgBi)xTe, single-phase polycrystalline samples were obtained with a wide range of x. On the basis of band calculations, we confirmed that the Sn1-2x(AgBi)xTe system is basically possessing band inversion and topologically preserved electronic states. To explore new superconducting phases related to the topological electronic states, we investigated the In-doping effects on structural and superconducting properties for x = 0.33 (AgSnBiTe3). For (AgSnBi)(1-y)/3InyTe, single-phase polycrystalline samples were obtained for y = 0-0.5 by high-pressure synthesis. Superconductivity was observed for y = 0.2-0.5. For y = 0.4, the transition temperature estimated from zero-resistivity state was 2.4 K, and the specific heat investigation confirmed the emergence of bulk superconductivity. Because the presence of band inversion was theoretically predicted, and the parameters obtained from specific heat analyses were comparable to In-doped SnTe, we expect that the (AgSnBi)(1-y)/3InyTe and other (Ag, In, Sn, Bi)Te phases are candidate systems for studying topological superconductivity.
ABSTRACT
The bulk electronic structure of T_{d}-MoTe_{2} features large hole Fermi pockets at the Brillouin zone center (Γ) and two electron Fermi surfaces along the Γ-X direction. However, the large hole pockets, whose existence has important implications for the Weyl physics of T_{d}-MoTe_{2}, has never been conclusively detected in quantum oscillations. This raises doubt about the realizability of Majorana states in T_{d}-MoTe_{2}, because these exotic states rely on the existence of Weyl points, which originated from the same band structure predicted by density functional theory (DFT). Here, we report an unambiguous detection of these elusive hole pockets via Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) quantum oscillations. At ambient pressure, the quantum oscillation frequencies for these pockets are 988 and 1513 T, when the magnetic field is applied along the c axis. The quasiparticle effective masses m^{*} associated with these frequencies are 1.50 and 2.77 m_{e}, respectively, indicating the importance of Coulomb interactions in this system. We further measure the SdH oscillations under pressure. At 13 kbar, we detected a peak at 1798 T with m^{*}=2.86m_{e}. Relative to the oscillation data at a lower pressure, the amplitude of this peak experienced an enhancement, which can be attributed to the reduced curvature of the hole pockets under pressure. Combining our experimental data with DFT+U calculations, where U is the Hubbard parameter, our results shed light on why these important hole pockets have not been detected until now.
ABSTRACT
The two-dimensional quadratic lattice magnet, bis(glycolato)cobalt(ii) ([Co(HOCH2CO2)2]), showed antiferromagnetic ordering at 15.0 K and an abrupt increase in magnetisation at H = 22 600 Oe and 2 K, thereby acting as a metamagnet. Heat capacity measurements revealed that the associated entropy change ΔS around the transition temperature was evaluated to be 6.20 J K-1 mol-1 and that the Co(ii) ion had the total angular momentum of J = 1/2 at low temperatures. Neutron diffraction studies suggested that the magnetic moment vectors of the Co(ii) ions had an amplitude of 3.59µB and were not aligned in a fully antiparallel fashion to those of their neighbours, which caused canting between the magnetic moment vectors in the sheet. The canting angle was determined to be 7.1°. Canting induced net magnetisation in the sheet, but this magnetisation was cancelled between sheets. The magnetisations in the sheets were oriented parallel to the magnetic field at the critical magnetic field.
ABSTRACT
We have investigated the temperature and pressure dependency of the electronic structure of Yb-filled skutterudites, YbFe(4)Sb(12) and Yb(0.88)Fe(4)Sb(12), using x-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies. An anomalous increase of the Yb valence, which is beyond the conventional Anderson model picture, is found to coincide with the onset of the ferromagnetic order in the x=0.88 sample below 20 K. In contrast, the nearly stoichiometric YbFe(4)Sb(12) is paramagnetic down to 2 K and the Yb valence is independent of temperature. This evidences a close interplay between the magnetic instability of the Fe 3d electrons and valence instability of the Yb 4f electrons. Under pressure, a sudden increase in the valence is found to occur around 13 GPa for YbFe(4)Sb(12) and 17 GPa for Yb(0.88)YbFe(4)Sb(12).
ABSTRACT
The origin of the lowest-temperature anomaly reported several years ago using a polycrystalline sample of the spin-ice compound Dy2Ti2O7 has remained unresolved. Here we finally clarify its origin by susceptibility measurements down to 65 mK using single crystals under accurate control of the magnetic fields in two independent directions. We demonstrate that the transition is induced under a subtle field combination that precisely cancels the nearest-neighbor spin interactions acting on the spins on the triangular lattice within the pyrochlore structure. Contrary to the other two field-induced transitions, this transition is driven only by the interactions beyond the nearest neighbors. Our observation thus provides the first qualitative evidence for the essential importance of the dipolar interaction beyond the nearest neighbors in the spin ice.
ABSTRACT
Headspace GC using the standard addition method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of organic solvents in natural flavorings. The procedure can be outlined as follows: an aliquot of the sample is transferred to a 10 mL vial. To each vial, a DMSO solution containing solvents at different concentrations is added as the standard solution. The vials are kept at 50 degrees C (for automatic injection) or 40 degrees C (for hand-operated injection) for 40 minutes. One mL of the vapor phase in each vial is injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with an Aquatic-2 column (0.25 mm i.d. x 60 m). To evaluate this method, we conducted a performance study in collaboration with 10 laboratories, using ginger oleoresin. We analyzed 6 solvents (methanol, 2-propanol, acetone, dichloromethane, hexane, and 1,1,2-trichloroethene) for which the maximum residue limits are established in Japan's Specifications and Standards for Food Additives. Methanol and acetone existed in the ginger oleoresin, so only the other that four kinds of solvents were added to it. Eight of the laboratories used automatic injection, while the remaining two used hand-operated injection. Statistical analyses were conducted on the data obtained from the 8 laboratories. Repeatability standard deviations (RSDr) ranged from 4.3 to 11.4%, and reproducibility standard deviations (RSDR) ranged from 8.4 to 19.0%.
