Role of p-f Hybridization in the Metal-Non-Metal Transition of PrRu4P12

Electronic state evolution in the metal-non-metal transition of PrRu4P12 has been studied by X-ray and polarized neutron diffraction experiments. It has been revealed that, in the low-temperature non-metallic phase, two inequivalent crystal-field (CF) schemes of Pr3+ 4f^2 electrons with Gamma_1 and Gamma_4^(2) ground states are located at Pr1 and Pr2 sites forming the bcc unit cell surrounded by the smaller and larger cubic Ru-ion sublattices, respectively. This modulated electronic state can be explained by the p-f hybridization mechanism taking two intermediate states of 4f^1 and 4f^3. The p-f hybridization effect plays an important role for the electronic energy gain in the metal-non-metal transition originated from the Fermi surface nesting.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Two Sizes of Superconducting Gaps on an Under-doped Bi2.1Sr1.9Ca2Cu3O10+δ with TC ∼ 101K by Tunneling Spectroscopy

AbstractWe measured tunneling conductances on an under-doped trilayer cuprate Bi2.1Sr1.9Ca2Cu3O10+≏ (Bi2223) with TC ∼ 101K by a point contact method, which has three CuO2 planes in a unit cell. The tunneling conductances on Bi2223 exhibited two sizes of gaps originated from outer and inner CuO2 plane (OP and IP). The estimated size of superconducting gap from OP ΔOP is 34 ± 6 meV, and the ΔIP from IP is 51 ± 5 meV, respectively. We also observed tunneling conductances which simultaneously displayed two superconducting peaks of OP and IP. Moreover, we propose the model of two superconductor-insulator-normal metal junctions which exhibit two sizes gaps of OP and IP

31P-NMR and muSR Studies of Filled Skutterudite Compound SmFe4P12: Evidence for Heavy Fermion Behavior with Ferromagnetic Ground State

The 31P-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and muSR (muon spin relaxation) measurements on the filled skutterudite system SmFe4P12 have been carried out. The temperature T dependence of the 31P-NMR spectra indicates the existence of the crystalline electric field effect splitting of the Sm3+$ (J = 5/2) multiplet into a ground state and an excited state of about 70 K. The spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 shows the typical behavior of the Kondo system, i.e., 1/T1 is nearly T independent above 30 K, and varies in proportion to T (the Korringa behavior, 1/T1 \propto T) between 7.5 K and 30 K. The T dependence deviated from the Korringa behavior below 7 K, which is independent of T in the applied magnetic field of 1 kOe, and suppressed strongly in higher fields. The behavior is explained as 1/T1is determined by ferromagnetic fluctuations of the uncovered Sm3+ magnetic moments by conduction electrons. The muSR measurements in zero field show the appearance of a static internal field associated with the ferromagnetic order below 1.6 K.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 75 (2006

Generic phase diagram of active polar films

We study theoretically the phase diagram of compressible active polar gels such as the actin network of eukaryotic cells. Using generalized hydrodynamics equations, we perform a linear stability analysis of the uniform states in the case of an infinite bidimensional active gel to obtain the dynamic phase diagram of active polar films. We predict in particular modulated flowing phases, and a macroscopic phase separation at high activity. This qualitatively accounts for experimental observations of various active systems, such as acto-myosin gels, microtubules and kinesins in vitro solutions, or swimming bacterial colonies.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Decaying shock studies of phase transitions in MgOSiO2 systems: implications for the Super-Earths interiors

We report an experimental study of the phase diagrams of periclase (MgO), enstatite (MgSiO3) and forsterite (Mg2SiO4) at high pressures. We investigated with laser driven decaying shocks the pressure/temperature curves of MgO, MgSiO3 and Mg2SiO4 between 0.2-1.2 TPa, 0.12-0.5 TPa and 0.2-0.85 TPa respectively. A melting signature has been observed in MgO at 0.47 TPa and 9860 K, while no phase changes were observed neither in MgSiO3 nor in Mg2SiO4. An increasing of reflectivity of MgO, MgSiO3 and Mg2SiO4 liquids have been detected at 0.55 TPa -12 760 K, 0.15 TPa - 7540 K, 0.2 TPa - 5800 K, respectively. In contrast to SiO2, melting and metallization of these compounds do not coincide implying the presence of poor electrically conducting liquids close to the melting lines. This has important implications for the generation of dynamos in Super-earths mantles

Multipole State of Heavy Lanthanide Filled Skutterudites

We discuss multipole properties of filled skutterudites containing heavy lanthanide Ln from a microscopic viewpoint on the basis of a seven-orbital Anderson model. For Ln=Gd, in contrast to naive expectation, quadrupole moments remain in addition to main dipole ones. For Ln=Ho, we find an exotic state governed by octupole moment. For Ln=Tb and Tm, no significant multipole moments appear at low temperatures, while for Ln=Dy, Er, and Yb, dipole and higher-order multipoles are dominant. We briefly discuss possible relevance of these multipole states with actual materials.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Fermi surface of the filled-skutterudite superconductor LaRu4P12: A clue to the origin of the metal-insulator transition in PrRu4P12

We report the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) effect and magnetoresistance in the filled-skutterudite superconductor LaRu4P12, which is a reference material of PrRu4P12 that exhibits a metal-insulator (M-I) transition at T_MI~60 K. The observed dHvA branches for the main Fermi surface (FS) are well explained by the band-structure calculation, using the full potential linearized augmented-plane-wave method with the local-density approximation, suggesting a nesting instability with q =(1,0,0) in the main multiply connected FS as expected also in PrRu4P12. Observed cyclotron effective masses of (2.6-11.8)m_0, which are roughly twice the calculated masses, indicate the large mass enhancement even in the La-skutterudites. Comparing the FS between LaRu4P12 and PrRu4P12, an essential role of c-f hybridization cooperating with the FS nesting in driving the the M-I transition in PrRu4P12 has been clarified.Comment: Appeared in Physical Review

Unconventional resistivity at the border of metallic antiferromagnetism in NiS2

We report low-temperature and high-pressure measurements of the electrical resistivity \rho(T) of the antiferromagnetic compound NiS_2 in its high-pressure metallic state. The form of \rho(T) suggests that metallic antiferromagnetism in NiS_2 is quenched at a critical pressure p_c=76+-5 kbar. Near p_c the temperature variation of \rho(T) is similar to that observed in NiS_{2-x}Se_x near the critical composition x=1 where the Neel temperature vanishes at ambient pressure. In both cases \rho(T) varies approximately as T^{1.5} over a wide range below 100 K. However, on closer analysis the resistivity exponent in NiS_2 exhibits an undulating variation with temperature not seen in NiSSe (x=1). This difference in behaviour may be due to the effects of spin-fluctuation scattering of charge carriers on cold and hot spots of the Fermi surface in the presence of quenched disorder, which is higher in NiSSe than in stoichiometric NiS_2.Comment: 7 page