Resistivity, Hall effect and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in CeNiSn

The resistivity and Hall effect in CeNiSn are measured at temperatures down to 35 mK and in magnetic fields up to 20 T with the current applied along the {\it b} axis. The resistivity at zero field exhibits quadratic temperature dependence below $\sim$0.16 K with a huge coefficient of the $T^2$ term (54 $\mu$$\Omega$cm/K$^2$). The resistivity as a function of field shows an anomalous maximum and dip, the positions of which vary with field directions. Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations with a frequency {\it F} of $\sim$100 T are observed for a wide range of field directions in the {\it ac} and {\it bc} planes, and the quasiparticle mass is determined to be $\sim$10-20 {\it m}$_e$. The carrier density is estimated to be $\sim10^{-3}$ electron/Ce. In a narrow range of field directions in the {\it ac} plane, where the magnetoresistance-dip anomaly manifests itself clearer than in other field directions, a higher-frequency ($F=300\sim400\text{T}$) SdH oscillation is found at high fields above the anomaly. This observation is discussed in terms of possible field-induced changes in the electronic structure.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B (15 Sept. 2002 issue

Characteristic signatures of quantum criticality driven by geometrical frustration

Geometrical frustration describes situations where interactions are incompatible with the lattice geometry and stabilizes exotic phases such as spin liquids. Whether geometrical frustration of magnetic interactions in metals can induce unconventional quantum critical points is an active area of research. We focus on the hexagonal heavy fermion metal CeRhSn where the Kondo ions are located on distorted kagome planes stacked along the c axis. Low-temperature specific heat, thermal expansion and magnetic Gr\"uneisen parameter measurements prove a zero-field quantum critical point. The linear thermal expansion, which measures the initial uniaxial pressure derivative of the entropy, displays a striking anisotropy. Critical and noncritical behaviors along and perpendicular to the kagome planes, respectively, prove that quantum criticality is driven by geometrical frustration. We also discovered a spin-flop-type metamagnetic crossover. This excludes an itinerant scenario and suggests that quantum criticality is related to local moments in a spin-liquid like state.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Uniaxial stress tuning of geometrical frustration in a Kondo lattice

Hexagonal CeRhSn with paramagnetic $4f$ moments on a distorted Kagome lattice displays zero-field quantum critical behavior related to geometrical frustration. We report high-resolution thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements under multiextreme conditions such as uniaxial stress up to 200 MPa, temperatures down to 0.1 K and magnetic fields up to 10 T. Under uniaxial stress along the $a$-direction, quantum criticality disappears and a complex magnetic phase diagram arises with a sequence of phases below 1.2 K and fields between 0 and 3 T ($\parallel a$). Since the Kondo coupling increases with stress, which alone would stabilize paramagnetic behavior in CeRhSn, the observed order arises from the release of geometrical frustration by in-plane stress.Comment: Accepted in PRB Rapid Com

Present and future tsunami and storm surge protections in Tokyo and Sagami bays

On March 11, 2011, a large earthquake that occurred offshore the northeast coast of Japan generated a large tsunami which devastated extensive areas of the Tohoku coastline and large casualties were recorded. Based on the experiences, coastal protection works in Japan are now in the process of modifications. In the present paper, Tokyo and Kanagawa are taken as examples and new methodologies are explained in the area. For the case of storm surge, a new model is applied to predict the future behavior of storm surge. For the case of tsunami, Genroku Kanto Earthquake (1703), Keicho Earthquake (1605) and Meiou Tokai Earthquake (1498) were mainly discussed in the numerical analysis, since tsunamis caused by these three earthquakes gave strong damages to coastal area of Kamakura, and left influences to Yokohama and Tokyo. New tsunami flood maps over coastal land area based on numerical simulations were presented to the residents of coastal region on April 2012 in Kanagawa prefecture. For Kamakura area, Keicho Earthqueke takes 90 minutes to reach the Kamakura coast and the height is over 12 m. But for the case of Genroku Kanto earthquake it takes 25 minutes and the height is 8 m. It appears that there are two different types of risk, 1) high wave comes but we have time for evacuation and 2) relatively small wave comes quickly and time is limited for evacuation. New countermeasures including soft and hard techniques are also required