Ultrasonic Mean Free Path in a Granular Aluminum Film(Physics)

The ultrasonic mean free path has been measured and compared to the electrical mean free path of a thin granular aluminum film. They have been found to differ by an order of magnitude which is believed to indicate that mean free path determined ultrasonically is for the Al metal while the one determined electrically is for the Al-Al_2O_3 matrix structure

Quantum Critical Point of the XY Model and Condensation of Field-Induced Quasiparticles in Dimer Compounds

The quantum critical point of the three-dimensional XY model in a symmetry-preserving field is investigated. The results of Monte Carlo simulations with the directed-loop algorithm show that the quantum critical behavior is characterized by the mean-field values of critical exponents. The system-size dependence of various quantities is compared to a simple field-theoretical argument that supports the mean-field scaling

Critical properties and Bose Einstein Condensation in dimer spin systems

We analyze the spin relaxation time $1/T_1$ for a system made of weakly coupled one dimensional ladders.This system allows to probe the dimensional crossover between a Luttinger liquid and a Bose-Einstein condensateof magnons. We obtain the temperature dependence of $1/T_1$ in the various dimensional regimes, and discuss the experimental consequences.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX 4, 3 EPS figure

Neutron Diffraction Study of the Pressure-Induced Magnetic Ordering in the Spin Gap System TlCuCl3_3

Neutron elastic scattering measurements have been performed under the hydrostatic pressure in order to investigate the spin structure of the pressure-induced magnetic ordering in the spin gap system TlCuCl$_3$. Below the ordering temperature $T_{\rm N}=16.9$ K for the hydrostatic pressure $P=1.48$ GPa, magnetic Bragg reflections were observed at the reciprocal lattice points {\mib Q}=(h, 0, l) with integer $h$ and odd $l$, which are equivalent to those points with the lowest magnetic excitation energy at ambient pressure. This indicates that the spin gap closes due to the applied pressure. The spin structure of the pressure-induced magnetic ordered state for $P=1.48$ GPa was determined.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 3 eps files, jpsj2.cls styl

Absence of Meissner State and Robust Ferromagnetism in the Superconducting State of UCoGe: Possible Evidence of Spontaneous Vortex State

We report ac magnetic susceptibility and dc magnetization measurements on the superconducting ferromagnet UCoGe (with superconducting and Curie temperatures of $T_{{\rm SC}} \sim 0.5$~K and $T_{{\rm Curie}} \sim 2.5$~K, respectively). In the normal, ferromagnetic state ($T_{{\rm SC}} < T < T_{{\rm Curie}}$), the magnetization curve exhibits a hysteresis loop similar to that of a regular itinerant ferromagnet. Upon lowering the temperature below $T_{{\rm SC}}$, the spontaneous magnetization is unchanged, but the hysteresis is markedly enhanced. Even deeply inside the superconducting state, ferromagnetism is not completely shielded, and there is no Meissner region, a magnetic field region of $H < H_{\rm c1}$ (a lower critical field). From these results, we suggest that UCoGe is the first material in which ferromagnetism robustly survives in the superconducting state and a spontaneous vortex state without the Meissner state is realized.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Transverse optical Josephson plasmons, equations of motion

A detailed calculation is presented of the dielectric function in superconducttors consisting of two Josephson coupled superconducting layers per unit cell, taking into account the effect of finite compressibility of the electron fluid. From the model it follows, that two longitudinal, and one transverse optical Josephson plasma resonance exist in these materials, for electric field polarization perpendicular to the planes. The latter mode appears as a resonance in the transverse dielectric function, and it couples directly to the electrical field vector of infrared radiation. A shift of all plasma frequencies, and a reduction of the intensity of the transverse optical Josephson plasmon is shown to result from the finite compressibility of the electron fluid.Comment: 17 pages, ReVTeX, 7 figures in eps forma

Tilting instability and other anomalies in the flux-lattice in some magnetic superconductors

The flux-line lattice in the compound $ErNi_2B_2C$, which has a tendency to ferromagnetic order in the a-b plane is studied with external magnetic field direction close to the c-axis. We show the existence of an instability where the direction of flux-lines spontaneously tilts away from that of the applied field near the onset of ferromagnetic order. The enhanced fluctuations in the flux lattice and the square flux lattice recently observed are explained and further experiments suggested.Comment: 12 pages, Latex file, no figur

Random Bond Effect in the Quantum Spin System (Tl1−x_{1-x}Kx_{x})CuCl3_3

The effect of exchange bond randomness on the ground state and the field-induced magnetic ordering was investigated through magnetization measurements in the spin-1/2 mixed quantum spin system (Tl$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$)CuCl$_3$ for $x<0.36$. Both parent compounds TlCuCl$_3$ and KCuCl$_3$ are coupled spin dimer systems, which have the singlet ground state with excitation gaps ${\Delta}/k_{\rm B}=7.7$ K and 31 K, respectively. Due to bond randomness, the singlet ground state turns into the magnetic state with finite susceptibility, nevertheless, the excitation gap remains. Field-induced magnetic ordering, which can be described by the Bose condensation of excited triplets, magnons, was observed as in the parent systems. The phase transition temperature is suppressed by the bond randomness. This behavior may be attributed to the localization effect.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 12 eps files, revtex, will appear in PR

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

Ferromagnetic Quantum Critical Fluctuations and Anomalous Coexistence of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity in UCoGe Revealed by Co-NMR and NQR Studies

Co nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies were performed in the recently discovered UCoGe, in which the ferromagnetic and superconducting (SC) transitions were reported to occur at $T_{\rm Curie} \sim 3$ K and $T_S \sim 0.8$ K (N. T. Huy {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 99} (2007) 067006), in order to investigate the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity as well as the normal-state and SC properties from a microscopic point of view. From the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_1$ and Knight-shift measurements, we confirmed that ferromagnetic fluctuations which possess a quantum critical character are present above $T_{\rm Curie}$ and the occurrence of ferromagnetic transition at 2.5 K in our polycrystalline sample. The magnetic fluctuations in the normal state show that UCoGe is an itinerant ferromagnet similar to ZrZn$_2$ and YCo$_2$. The onset SC transition was identified at $T_S \sim 0.7$ K, below which $1/T_1$ of 30 % of the volume fraction starts to decrease due to the opening of the SC gap. This component of $1/T_1$, which follows a $T^3$ dependence in the temperature range of $0.3 - 0.1$ K, coexists with the magnetic components of $1/T_1$ showing a $\sqrt{T}$ dependence below $T_S$. From the NQR measurements in the SC state, we suggest that the self-induced vortex state is realized in UCoGe.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures. submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp