Optical probe of carrier doping by X-ray irradiation in organic dimer Mott insulator κ\kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2_{2}Cu[N(CN)2]_{2}]Cl

We investigated the infrared optical spectra of an organic dimer Mott insulator $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_{2}$Cu[N(CN)$_{2}$]Cl, which was irradiated with X-rays. We observed that the irradiation caused a large spectral weight transfer from the mid-infrared region, where interband transitions in the dimer and Mott-Hubbard bands take place, to a Drude part in a low-energy region; this caused the Mott gap to collapse. The increase of the Drude part indicates a carrier doping into the Mott insulator due to irradiation defects. The strong redistribution of the spectral weight demonstrates that the organic Mott insulator is very close to the phase border of the bandwidth-controlled Mott transition.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Imaging phase separation near the Mott boundary in the correlated organic superconductors κ\kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2_{2}X

Electronic phase separation consisting of the metallic and insulating domains with 50 -- 100 $\mu$m in diameter is found in the organic Mott system $\kappa$-[($h$8-BEDT-TTF)$_{1-x}$($d$8-BEDT-TTF)$_{x}$]$_{2}$Cu[N(CN)$_{2}$]Br by means of scanning micro-region infrared spectroscopy using the synchrotron radiation. The phase separation appears below the critical end temperature 35 -- 40 K of the first order Mott transition. The observation of the macroscopic size of the domains indicates a different class of the intrinsic electronic inhomogeneity from the nano-scale one reported in the inorganic Mott systems such as High-$T_{c}$ copper and manganese oxides.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Phase separation in the vicinity of the surface of κ\kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2_2Cu[N(CN)2_2]Br by fast cooling

Partial suppression of superconductivity by fast cooling has been observed in the organic superconductor $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Br by two means: a marked sample size effect on the magnetic susceptibility and direct imaging of insulating regions by scanning microregion infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Macroscopic insulating regions are found in the vicinity of the crystalline surface after fast cooling, with diameters of 50--100 $\mu$m and depths of a few $\mu$m. The very large in-plane penetration depth reported to date ($\sim$ 24--100 $\mu$m) can be explained by the existence of the insulating regions.Comment: Several rhetoric alternations to avoid misleadings. 6 pages, 3 figures. to be publihsed in Phys. Rev.

Phase separation in the vicinity of the surface of κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br by fast cooling

科研費報告書収録論文(課題番号:17340099/研究代表者:佐々木孝彦/強相関モット系有機導体における不均一電子状態の自己組織的パターン形成の研究

Low-Mass Star Formation, Triggered by Supernova in Primordial Clouds

The evolution of a gas shell, swept by the supernova remnant of a massive first generation star, is studied with H_2 and HD chemistry taken into account. When a first-generation star explodes as a supernova, H_2 and HD molecules are formed in the swept gas shell and effectively cool the gas shell to temperatures of 32 K - 154 K. If the supernova remnant can sweep to gather the ambient gas, the gas shell comes to be dominated by its self-gravity, and hence, is expected to fragment. Our result shows that for a reasonable range of temperatures (200 K - 1000 K) of interstellar gas, the formation of second-generation stars can be triggered by a single supernova or hypernova.Comment: 38pages, 10 figures, The Astrophysical Journal, accepted 8 Dec. 200

Strigolactones as Germination Stimulants for Root Parasitic Plants

Witchweeds (Striga spp.) and broomrapes (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp.) are the two most devastating root parasitic plants belonging to the family Orobanchaceae and are causing enormous crop losses throughout the world. Seeds of these root parasites will not germinate unless they are exposed to chemical stimuli, ‘germination stimulants’ produced by and released from plant roots. Most of the germination stimulants identified so far are strigolactones (SLs), which also function as host recognition signals for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and a novel class of plant hormones inhibiting shoot branching. In this review, we focus on SLs as germination stimulants for root parasitic plants. In addition, we discuss how quantitative and qualitative differences in SL exudation among sorghum cultivars influence their susceptibility to Striga

Protostellar Collapse with Various Metallicities

The thermal and chemical evolution of gravitationally collapsing protostellar clouds is investigated, focusing attention on their dependence on metallicity. Calculations are carried out for a range of metallicities spanning the local interstellar value to zero. During the time when clouds are transparent to continuous radiation, the temperatures are higher for those with lower metallicity, reflecting lower radiative ability. However, once the clouds become opaque, in the course of the adiabatic contraction of the transient cores, their evolutionary trajectories in the density-temperature plane converge to a unique curve that is determined by only physical constants. The trajectories coincide with each other thereafter. Consequently, the size of the stellar core at the formation is the same regardless of the gas composition of the parent cloud.Comment: 30 pages. The Astrophysical Journal, 533, in pres