Possible Excitonic Phase of Graphite in the Quantum Limit State

The in-plane resistivity, Hall resistivity and magnetization of graphite were investigated in pulsed magnetic fields applied along the \textit{c}-axis. The Hall resistivity approaches zero at around 53 T where the in-plane and out-of-plane resistivities steeply decrease. The differential magnetization also shows an anomaly at around this field with a similar amplitude compared to that of de Haas-van Alphen oscillations at lower fields. This transition field appears insensitive to disorder, but reduces with doping holes. These results suggest the realization of the quantum limit states above 53 T. As a plausible explanation for the observed gapped out-of-plane conduction above 53 T, the emergence of the excitonic BCS-like state in graphite is proposed.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Behavioral and histological analyses of the mouse Bassoon p.P3882A mutation corresponding to the human BSN p.P3866A mutation

Tauopathy is known to be a major pathognomonic finding in important neurodegenerative diseases such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration. However, the mechanism by which tauopathy is triggered remains to be elucidated. We previously identified the point mutation c.11596C > G, p.Pro3866Ala in the Bassoon gene (BSN) in a Japanese family with PSP-like syndrome. We showed that mutated BSN may have been involved in its own insolubilization and tau accumulation. Furthermore, BSN mutations have also been related to various neurological diseases. In order to further investigate the pathophysiology of BSN mutation in detail, it is essential to study it in mouse models. We generated a mouse model with the mouse Bassoon p.P3882A mutation, which corresponds to the human BSN p.P3866A mutation, knock-in (KI) and we performed systematic behavioral and histological analyses. Behavioral analyses revealed impaired working memory in a Y-maze test at 3 months of age and decreased locomotor activity in the home cage at 3 and 12 months of age in KI mice compared to those in wild-type mice. Although no obvious structural abnormalities were observed at 3 months of age, immunohistochemical studies showed elevation of Bsn immunoreactivity in the hippocampus and neuronal loss without tau accumulation in the substantia nigra at 12 months of age in KI mice. Although our mice model did not show progressive cognitive dysfunction and locomotor disorder like PSP-like syndrome, dopaminergic neuronal loss was observed in the substantia nigra in 12-month-old KI mice. It is possible that BSN mutation may result in dopaminergic neuronal loss without locomotor symptoms due to the early disease stage. Thus, further clinical course can induce cognitive dysfunction and locomotor symptoms

Possible Excitonic Phase of Graphite in the Quantum Limit State

The in-plane resistivity, Hall resistivity, and magnetization of graphite were investigated in pulsed magnetic fields applied along the c-axis. The Hall resistivity approaches zero at approximately 53 T where the in-plane and out-of-plane resistivities steeply decrease. The differential magnetization also shows an anomaly at around this field with an amplitude similar to that of de Haas–van Alphen oscillations at lower fields. This transition field appears insensitive to disorder, but reduces with hole doping. These results suggest the realization of the quantum limit states above 53 T. As a plausible explanation for the observed gapped out-of-plane conduction above 53 T, the emergence of the excitonic BCS-like state in graphite is proposed.UTokyo Research掲載「量子極限状態における励起子のBCS的状態の可能性」 URI: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/utokyo-research/research-news/possible-excitonic-bcs-like-state-in-the-quantum-limit-state.htmlUTokyo Research "Possible excitonic BCS-like state in the quantum limit state" URI: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/utokyo-research/research-news/possible-excitonic-bcs-like-state-in-the-quantum-limit-state.htm