Polarization dependence of soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy on the heavy fermion superconductor CeNiGe

藤原 秀紀*; 中谷 泰博*; 荒谷 秀和*; 金井 惟奈*; 山神 光平*; 濱本 諭*; 木須 孝幸*; 関山 明*; 田中 新*; 海老原 孝雄*; et al.

New Physics; Sae Mulli, 73(12), p.1062 - 1066, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.3938/NPSM.73.1062

We have performed soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) on the heavy fermion superconductor CeNiGe to examine the local 4 electronic structure. The XAS spectra are qualitatively explained by ionic calculations, indicating a degree of localized character of the 4 states, while sizable -hybridization effects are also observed in the XAS spectra and those magnetic circular dichroism. In addition, the temperature dependence of linear dichroism in the XAS spectra indicates that the ground state symmetry is , and the excited states with symmetry is above 390 K.

Impact of the ground-state 4 symmetry for anisotropic hybridization in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeNiGe

藤原 秀紀*; 中谷 泰博*; 荒谷 秀和*; 金井 惟奈*; 山神 光平*; 濱本 諭*; 木須 孝幸*; 山崎 篤志*; 東谷 篤志*; 今田 真*; et al.

Physical Review B, 108(16), p.165121_1 - 165121_10, 2023/10

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.108.165121

We report the ground-state symmetry of the Ce 4 states in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeNiGe, yielding anisotropic hybridization between the Ce 4 states and conducting electrons. By analyzing linear dichroism in soft X-ray absorption and core-level hard X-ray photoemission spectra, the 4 symmetry is determined as -type , promoting predominant hybridization with the conducting electrons originating from the Ge site. The band structures probed by soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission indicates that the Ge 4 components contribute to the band renormalization through the anisotropic hybridization effects, suggesting that the control of the electronic structures of Ge orbital gives an impact to achieve the exotic phenomena in CeNiGe.

Magnetoelastic anisotropy in Heusler-type MnCoGa films

窪田 崇秀*; 高野 大地*; 小田 洋平*; Mohanty, S.*; 伊藤 啓太*; 松木 充弘*; 林田 誠弘*; Sun, M.*; 竹田 幸治; 斎藤 祐児; et al.

Physical Review Materials (Internet), 6(4), p.044405_1 - 044405_12, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.044405

This study focuses on an inverse-type Heusler alloy, MnCoGa (MCG), with a small off-stoichiometry (), showing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). We observed a relatively large uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant () on the order of 10 J/m at room temperature in the MCG films with a small tetragonal distortion of a few percent. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) was employed to get insight into the origin for the PMA. Negligible angular variation of the orbital magnetic moment evaluated using the XMCD spectra suggested a minor role of the so-called Bruno's term to . The origin of the PMA was discussed based on the second-order perturbation theory in terms of the spin-orbit coupling, and first principles calculations, claiming that the mixing of the occupied - and the unoccupied -spin states is responsible for the PMA of the MCG films.

Structures of magnetic excitations in the spin- kagome-lattice antiferromagnets CsCuSnF and RbCuSnF

齋藤 睦己*; 高岸 龍之介*; 栗田 伸之*; 渡邊 正理*; 田中 秀数*; 野村 竜司*; 福元 好志*; 池内 和彦*; 梶本 亮一

Physical Review B, 105(6), p.064424_1 - 064424_15, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.105.064424

CsCuSnF is a spin- antiferromagnet on a nearly uniform kagome lattice. This compound undergoes magnetic ordering with the = 0 structure and positive chirality, which is mainly caused by the large Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. RbCuSnF is a spin- antiferromagnet on a modified kagome lattice with a enlarged chemical unit cell at room temperature. Its ground state is a pinwheel valence bond solid (VBS) with an excitation gap. Here, we show the structures of magnetic excitations in CsCuSnF and RbCuSnF investigated by inelastic neutron scattering in wide energy and momentum ranges. For CsCuSnF, four single-magnon excitation modes were observed. It was confirmed that the energy of single-magnon excitations arising from the point in the extended Brillouin zones is largely renormalized downwards. It was found that the broad excitation continuum without a marked structure spreads in a wide energy range from to approximately . These findings strongly suggest spinon excitations as elementary excitations in CsCuSnF. In RbCuSnF, singlet-triplet excitations from the pinwheel VBS state and their ghost modes caused by the enlargement of the chemical unit cell were clearly confirmed. It was found that the excitation continuum is structured in the low-energy region approximately below and the almost structureless high-energy excitation continuum extends to approximately . The characteristics of the high-energy excitation continuum are common to both CsCuSnF and RbCuSnF, irrespective of their ground states. The experimental results strongly suggest that the spin liquid component remains in the ground state as quantum fluctuations in CsCuSnF and RbCuSnF.

Microstructures and interface magnetic moments in MnVAl/Fe layered films showing exchange bias

窪田 崇秀*; 嶋田 雄介*; 土屋 朋生*; 吉川 智己*; 伊藤 啓太*; 竹田 幸治; 斎藤 祐児; 今野 豊彦*; 木村 昭夫*; 高梨 弘毅*

Nanomaterials (Internet), 11(7), p.1723_1 - 1723_11, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11071723

Heusler alloys exhibit various magnetic properties. In this study, a layered sample consisting of a Heusler alloy, MnVAl and a ferromagnet, Fe, is selected as a material system exhibiting exchange bias. Although the fully ordered MnVAl is known as a ferrimagnet, the MnVAl/Fe layered structure exhibits exchange bias. The high-angle annular dark field STEM images demonstrated the formation of MnVAl clusters with the L2 phase distributed only around the interface to the Fe layer in the sample. Furthermore, the antiferromagnetic coupling between the Mn- and Fe-moments were observed in element specific hysteresis loops measured using XMCD. The locally ordered L2 phase and antiferromagnetic Mn-moments in the MnVAl layer are important for the exchange bias.

Insight into Kondo screening in the intermediate-valence compound SmOsSb uncovered by soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

斎藤 祐児; 藤原 秀紀*; 保井 晃*; 門野 利治*; 菅原 仁*; 菊地 大輔*; 佐藤 英行*; 菅 滋正*; 山崎 篤志*; 関山 明*; et al.

Physical Review B, 102(16), p.165152_1 - 165152_8, 2020/10

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.102.165152

Through a high-precision soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study of the intermediate-valence compound SmOsSb, we show our successful approach of revealing unprecedented details of Kondo screening below a characteristic temperature of 20 K in the paramagnetic phase. The multiplet XMCD structure at the Sm edge sensitive to the 4 configuration enabled us to observe a clear difference between the temperature evolution above and below with one- and two-component behavior, respectively. Our findings are in strong contrast to the conventional Kondo crossover that coincides with the valence transition, but are qualitatively accounted for by theoretical XMCD predictions combined with the two-fluid phenomenology recently proposed. This work contributes to the large context of Kondo physics that is closely related to quantum criticality in heavy fermion systems.

Nature of the Dirac gap modulation and surface magnetic interaction in axion antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBiTe

Shikin, A. M.*; Estyunin, D. A.*; Klimovskikh, I. I.*; Filnov, S. O.*; Kumar, S.*; Schwier, E. F.*; 宮本 幸治*; 奥田 太一*; 木村 昭夫*; 黒田 健太*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 10, p.13226_1 - 13226_13, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70089-9

Modification of the gap at the Dirac point (DP) in axion antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBiTe and its electronic and spin structure have been studied by angle- and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) under laser excitation at various temperatures, light polarizations and photon energies. We have distinguished both large and reduced gaps at the DP in the ARPES dispersions, which remain open above the Nel temperature of = 24.5 K. We propose that the gap above remains open due to a short-range magnetic field generated by chiral spin fluctuations. Spin-resolved ARPES, XMCD and circular dichroism ARPES measurements show a surface ferromagnetic ordering for the large gap sample and apparently significantly reduced effective magnetic moment for the reduced gap sample.

Element-specific density of states of CoMnGe revealed by resonant photoelectron spectroscopy

河野 嵩*; 鹿子木 将明*; 吉川 智己*; Wang, X.*; 角田 一樹*; 宮本 幸治*; 室 隆桂之*; 竹田 幸治; 斎藤 祐児; 後藤 一希*; et al.

Physical Review B, 100(16), p.165120_1 - 165120_6, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.100.165120

Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy at the Co and Mn 2 core absorption edges of half-metallic CoMnGe has been performed to determine the element-specific density of states (DOS). A significant contribution of the Mn 3 partial DOS near the Fermi level () was clarified by measurement at the Mn 2 absorption edge. Further analysis by first-principles calculation revealed that it has symmetry, which must be responsible for the electrical conductivity along the line perpendicular to the film plane. The dominant normal Auger contribution observed at the Co 2 absorption edge indicates delocalization of photoexcited Co 3 electrons. The difference in the degrees of localization of the Mn 3 and Co 3 electrons in CoMnGe is explained by the first-principles calculation.

Electronic structure of the high- ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Fe)Sb; X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and resonance photoemission spectroscopy studies

坂本 祥哉*; Tu, N. T.*; 竹田 幸治; 藤森 伸一; Hai, P. N.*; Anh, L. D.*; 若林 勇希*; 芝田 悟朗*; 堀尾 眞史*; 池田 啓祐*; et al.

Physical Review B, 100(3), p.035204_1 - 035204_8, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.100.035204

The electronic structure and the magnetism of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Fe)Sb, whose Curie temperature can exceed room temperature, were investigated by means of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and resonance photoemission spectroscopy (RPES). The line-shape analyses of the XAS and XMCD spectra suggest that the ferromagnetism is of intrinsic origin. The orbital magnetic moments deduced using XMCD sum rules were found to be large, indicating that there is a considerable 3 contribution to the ground state of Fe. From RPES, we observed a strong dispersive Auger peak and nondispersive resonantly enhanced peaks in the valence-band spectra. The latter is a fingerprint of the correlated nature of Fe 3 electrons, whereas the former indicates their itinerant nature. It was also found that the Fe 3 states have a finite contribution to the density of states at the Fermi energy. These states would be responsible for the ferromagnetic order in this material.

Negative Te spin polarization responsible for ferromagnetic order in the doped topological insulator V(SbBi)Te

Ye, M.*; Xu, T.*; Li, G.*; Qiao, S.*; 竹田 幸治; 斎藤 祐児; Zhu, S.-Y.*; Nurmamat, M.*; 角田 一樹*; 石田 行章*; et al.

Physical Review B, 99(14), p.144413_1 - 144413_7, 2019/04

AA2018-0697.pdf:1.89MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.144413

We investigate the microscopic origin of ferromagnetism coupled with topological insulators in V-doped (Sb,Bi)Te employing X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and angle-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopies, combined with first-principles calculations. We found an magnetic moment at the Te site anti-parallel to that of the V and Sb sites, which plays a key role in the ferromagnetic order. We ascribe it to the hybridization between Te 5 and V 3 majority spin states at the Fermi energy, consistent with the Zener-type - exchange interaction scenario. The substitution of Bi for Sb suppresses the bulk ferromagnetism by introducing extra electron carriers in the majority spin channel of the Te states that compensates the antiparallel magnetic moment on the Te site. Our findings reveal important clues to designing magnetic topological insulators with higher Curie temperature that work under ambient conditions.