Thermodynamic Studies on Non Centrosymmetric Superconductors by AC Calorimetry under High Pressures

We investigated the non centrosymmetric superconductors CePt$_3$Si and UIr by the ac heat capacity measurement under pressures. We determined the pressure phase diagrams of these compounds. In CePt$_3$Si, the N\'{e}el temperature $T_{\rm N}$ = 2.2 K decreases with increasing pressure and becomes zero at the critical pressure $P_{\rm AF}$ $\simeq$ 0.6 GPa. On the other hand, the superconducting phase exists in a wider pressure region from ambient pressure to $P_{\rm AF}$ $\simeq$ 1.5 GPa. The phase diagram of CePt$_3$Si is very unique and has never been reported before for other heavy fermion superconductors. In UIr, the heat capacity shows an anomaly at the Curie temperature $T_{\rm C1}$ = 46 K at ambient pressure, and the heat capacity anomaly shifts to lower temperatures with increasing pressure. The present pressure dependence of $T_{\rm C1}$ was consistent with the previous studies by the resistivity and magnetization measurements. Previous ac magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements suggested the existence of three ferromagnetic phases, FM1-3. $C_{\rm ac}$ shows a bending structure at 1.98, 2.21, and 2.40 GPa .The temperatures where these anomalies are observed are close to the phase boundary of the FM3 phase.Comment: This paper was presented at the international workshop ``Novel Pressure-induced Phenomena in Condensed Matter Systems(NP2CMS)" August 26-29 2006, Fukuoka Japa

IL17A (interleukin 17A)

Interleukin-17A (IL17A), a characteristic cytokine produced by the T helper 17 cells (Th17 cells), can form either a homodimer or a heterodimer with IL17F.It is produced not only by Th17 cells, but also by cytotoxic CD8+ T cells (Tc17 cells), ?d T cells, invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells), lymphoid tissue inducer cells (LTi cells), and other hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells. During development, these cells exhibit flexible or plastic features distinct from those of Th1 and Th2 cells. IL17A plays important roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and in the host defenses against bacterial and fungal infections.Expression of IL17A and its related factors, as well as the infiltration of IL17A-producing cells into the tumor microenvironment, has been implicated in anti-tumor or pro-tumor effects in various cancers

Microscopic Coexistence of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity in Single-Crystal UCoGe

Unambiguous evidence for the microscopic coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in UCoGe ($T_{\rm Curie} \sim 2.5$ K and $T_{\rm SC}$ $\sim$ 0.6 K) is reported from $^{59}$Co nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR). The $^{59}$Co-NQR signal below 1 K indicates ferromagnetism throughout the sample volume, while nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ in the ferromagnetic (FM) phase decreases below $T_{\rm SC}$ due to the opening of the superconducting(SC) gap. The SC state was found to be inhomogeneous, suggestive of a self-induced vortex state, potentially realizable in a FM superconductor. In addition, the $^{59}$Co-NQR spectrum around $T_{\rm Curie}$ show that the FM transition in UCoGe possesses a first-order character, which is consistent with the theoretical prediction that the low-temperature FM transition in itinerant magnets is generically of first-order.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Pressure Evolution of the Ferromagnetic and Field Re-entrant Superconductivity in URhGe

Fine pressure ($P$) and magnetic field ($H$) tuning on the ferromagnetic superconductor URhGe are reported in order to clarify the interplay between the mass enhancement, low field superconductivity (SC) and field reentrant superconductivity (RSC) by electrical resistivity measurements. With increasing $P$, the transition temperature and the upper critical field of the low field SC decrease slightly, while the RSC dome drastically shifts to higher fields and shrinks. The spin reorientation field $H_{\rm R}$ also increases. At a pressure $P\sim 1.8$ GPa, the RSC has collapsed while the low field SC persists and may disappear only above 4 GPa. Via careful $(P, H)$ studies of the inelastic $T^2$ resistivity term, it is demonstrated that this drastic change is directly related with the $P$ dependence of the effective mass which determines the critical field of the low field SC and RSC on the basis of triplet SC without Pauli limiting field.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Journal of the Physical Society of Japa

Double-Exchange Ferromagnetism and Orbital-Fluctuation-Induced Superconductivity in Cubic Uranium Compounds

A double-exchange mechanism for the emergence of ferromagnetism in cubic uranium compounds is proposed on the basis of a $j$-$j$ coupling scheme. The idea is {\it orbital-dependent duality} of $5f$ electrons concerning itinerant $\Gamma_8^-$ and localized $\Gamma_7^-$ states in the cubic structure. Since orbital degree of freedom is still active in the ferromagnetic phase, orbital-related quantum critical phenomenon is expected to appear. In fact, odd-parity p-wave pairing compatible with ferromagnetism is found in the vicinity of an orbital ordered phase. Furthermore, even-parity d-wave pairing with significant odd-frequency components is obtained. A possibility to observe such exotic superconductivity in manganites is also discussed briefly.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp