Lattice effects in the quasi-two-dimensional valence-bond-solid Mott insulator EtMe3_3P[Pd(dmit)2_2]2_2

The organic charge-transfer salt EtMe$_3$P[Pd(dmit)$_2$]$_2$ is a quasi-two-dimensional Mott insulator with localized spins $S$ = 1/2 residing on a distorted triangular lattice. Here we report measurements of the uniaxial thermal expansion coefficients $\alpha_i$ along the in-plane $i$ = $a$- and $c$-axis as well as along the out-of-plane $b$-axis for temperatures 1.4\,K $\leq$T$\leq$ 200\,K. Particular attention is paid to the lattice effects around the phase transition at $T_{VBS}$ = 25\,K into a low-temperature valence-bond-solid phase and the paramagnetic regime above where effects of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations can be expected. The salient results of our study include (i) the observation of strongly anisotropic lattice distortions accompanying the formation of the valence-bond-solid, and (ii) a distinct maximum in the thermal expansion coefficients in the paramagnetic regime around 40\,K. Our results demonstrate that upon cooling through $T_{VBS}$ the in-plane $c$-axis, along which the valence bonds form, contracts while the second in-plane $a$-axis elongates by the same relative amount. Surprisingly, the dominant effect is observed for the out-of-plane $b$-axis which shrinks significantly upon cooling through $T_{VBS}$. The pronounced anomaly in $\alpha_i$ around 40\,K is attributed to short-range magnetic correlations. It is argued that the position of this maximum, relative to that in the magnetic susceptibility around 70\,K, speaks in favor of a more anisotropic triangular-lattice scenario for this compound than previously thought.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Critical Behavior in Doping-Driven Metal−-Insulator Transition on Single-Crystalline Organic Mott-FET

We present the carrier transport properties in the vicinity of a doping-driven Mott transition observed at a field-effect transistor (FET) channel using a single crystal of the typical two-dimensional organic Mott insulator $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$CuN(CN)$_2$Cl ($\kappa$-Cl).The FET shows a continuous metal$-$insulator transition (MIT) as electrostatic doping proceeds. The phase transition appears to involve two-step crossovers, one in Hall measurement and the other in conductivity measurement. The crossover in conductivity occurs around the conductance quantum $e^2/h$ , and hence is not associated with "bad metal" behavior, which is in stark contrast to the MIT in half-filled organic Mott insulators or that in doped inorganic Mott insulators. Through in-depth scaling analysis of the conductivity, it is found that the above carrier transport properties in the vicinity of the MIT can be described by a high-temperature Mott quantum critical crossover, which is theoretically argued to be a ubiquitous feature of various types of Mott transitions. [This document is the unedited Authors' version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Nano Letters, copyright \copyright American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b03817]Comment: 40 pages, 16 figures in Nano Letters, ASAP (2017

Effects of the Zero-Mode Landau Level on Inter-Layer Magnetoresistance in Multilayer Massless Dirac Fermion Systems

We report on the experimental results of interlayer magnetoresistance in multilayer massless Dirac fermion system $\alpha$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$I$_3$ under hydrostatic pressure and its interpretation. We succeeded in detecting the zero-mode Landau level (n=0 Landau level) that is epected to appear at the contact points of Dirac cones in the magnetic field normal to the two-dimensional plane. The characteristic feature of zero-mode Landau carriers including the Zeeman effect is clearly seen in the interlayer magnetoresistance.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure