Critical enhancement of thermopower in a chemically tuned polar semimetal MoTe2_{\bf 2}

Ferroelectrics with spontaneous electric polarization play an essential role in today's device engineering, such as capacitors and memories. Their physical properties are further enriched by suppressing the long-range polar order, as is exemplified by quantum paraelectrics with giant piezoelectric and dielectric responses at low temperatures. Likewise in metals, a polar lattice distortion has been theoretically predicted to give rise to various unusual physical properties. So far, however, a "ferroelectric"-like transition in metals has seldom been controlled and hence its possible impacts on transport phenomena remain unexplored. Here we report the discovery of anomalous enhancement of thermopower near the critical region between the polar and nonpolar metallic phases in 1T'-Mo$_{1-x}$Nb$_{x}$Te$_2$ with a chemically tunable polar transition. It is unveiled from the first-principles calculations and magnetotransport measurements that charge transport with strongly energy-dependent scattering rate critically evolves towards the boundary to the nonpolar phase, resulting in large cryogenic thermopower. Such a significant influence of the structural instability on transport phenomena might arise from the fluctuating or heterogeneous polar metallic states, which would pave a novel route to improving thermoelectric efficiency.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figure

Ferromagnetism in a Hubbard model for an atomic quantum wire: a realization of flat-band magnetism from even-membered rings

We have examined a Hubbard model on a chain of squares, which was proposed by Yajima et al as a model of an atomic quantum wire As/Si(100), to show that the flat-band ferromagnetism according to a kind of Mielke-Tasaki mechanism should be realized for an appropriate band filling in such a non-frustrated lattice. Reflecting the fact that the flat band is not a bottom one, the ferromagnetism vanishes, rather than intensified, as the Hubbard U is increased. The exact diagonalization method is used to show that the critical value of U is in a realistic range. We also discussed the robustness of the magnetism against the degradation of the flatness of the band.Comment: misleading terms and expressions are corrected, 4 pages, RevTex, 5 figures in Postscript, to be published in Phys. Rev. B (rapid communication

Dynamic Centrifuge Tests on Sea Revetment with Multi-Anchors

In the construction of sea revetment, composite type of revetment has been frequently used in Japan, in which huge sized concrete caissons are placed on gravel mound to sustain earth pressure induced by sea reclamation. There are several case records of serious disaster with large displacement of the caisson in huge earthquake. This requires research efforts to find a new type of sea revetment having better static and dynamic performances. A sort of tieback caisson is an idea for the requirement, in which a concrete caisson with relatively small width is reinforced by many anchors. Authors started to study the applicability of this new type of caisson to sea revetment construction, in which a series of centrifuge test has been conducted to investigate its static and dynamic behaviors. In the dynamic tests, the model ground was subjected to several earthquake motions at a 50 g centrifugal acceleration field until the ground failed. The model tests were conducted changing the caisson width and the number and length of anchors. Simple calculations incorporating with the anchor force were also conducted to evaluate stability of the caisson. This paper describes the model ground preparation, test results and calculated results in detail

Oxygen and carbon isotope imaging of organics from Y793495 (CR2) and Murchison (CM2).

第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第34回南極隕石シンポジウム 11月17日（木） 国立国語研究所 2階講