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Bi
Park, P.*; Ortiz, B. R.*; Spargue, M.*; Sakuya, A. P.*; Chen, S. A.*; Frontzek, M. D.*; Tian, W.*; Sibille, R.*; Mazzone, D. G.*; 田端 千紘; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 16, p.4384_1 - 4384_9, 2025/05
被引用回数：0Kagome metals with van Hove singularities (VHSs) near the Fermi level can host intriguing quantum phenomena, including chiral loop currents, electronic nematicity, and unconventional superconductivity. However, unconventional magnetic states driven by VHSs, such as spin-density waves (SDWs), have yet to be observed experimentally in kagome metals. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation of the magnetic and electronic structure of the layered kagome metal CeTiBi, where the Ti kagome electronic structure interacts with a magnetic sublattice of Ce
= 1/2 moments. Our findings establish the rare-earth Kagome metals LnTi3Bi4 as a model platform where characteristic electronic structure of the kagome lattice plays a pivotal role in magnetic order.
Thennakoon, A.*; 横倉 涼雅*; Yang, Y.*; 梶本 亮一; 中村 充孝; 林 真弘*; 道岡 千城*; Chern, G.-W.*; Broholm, C.*; 植田 浩明*; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 16, p.3939_1 - 3939_13, 2025/04
被引用回数：0The pursuit of quantum spin liquid (QSL) states in condensed matter physics has drawn attention to kagome antiferromagnets (AFM) where a two-dimensional corner-sharing network of triangles frustrates conventional magnetic orders. While quantum kagome AFMs based on Cu
(
, 
) ions have been extensively studied, there is so far little work beyond copper-based systems. Here we present our bulk magnetization, specific heat and neutron scattering studies on single crystals of a new titanium fluorides Cs
RbK
Ti
F
where Ti (
, ) ions form a modulated quantum kagome antiferromagnet that does not order magnetically down to 1.5 K. Our comprehensive map of the dynamic response function 
acquired at 1.5 K where the heat capacity is 
-linear reveals a dispersive continuum emanating from soft lines that extend along (100). The data indicate fractionalized spinon-like excitations with quasi-one-dimensional dispersion within a quasi two-dimensional spin system.
Sheng, L.*; 山本 慧; 他18名*
Nature Physics, 8 Pages, 2025/04
被引用回数：1Controlling the spin current lies at the heart of spintronics and its applications. In ferromagnets, the sign of spin currents is fixed once the current direction is determined. However, spin currents in antiferromagnets can possess opposite polarizations, but this requires enormous magnetic fields to lift the degeneracy between the two modes. Therefore, controlling spin currents with opposite polarization is still a challenge. Here we demonstrate the control of spin currents at room temperature by magnon interference in a canted antiferromagnet, namely, haematite that has recently been classified as an altermagnet. Magneto-optical characterization by Brillouin light scattering reveals that the spatial periodicity of the beating patterns is tunable via the microwave frequency. We further observe that the inverse spin Hall voltage changes sign as the frequency is tuned, evincing a frequency-controlled switching of polarization of pure spin currents. Our work highlights the use of antiferromagnetic magnon interference to control spin currents, which substantially extends the horizon for the emerging field of coherent antiferromagnetic spintronics.
Song, Y.*; Xu, S.*; 佐藤 駿介*; Lee, I.*; Xu, X.*; 大森 俊洋*; 長迫 実*; 川崎 卓郎; 鬼柳 亮嗣; Harjo, S.; et al.
Nature, 638, p.965 - 971, 2025/02
被引用回数：2 パーセンタイル：88.78(Multidisciplinary Sciences)In advanced applications like aerospace and space exploration, materials must balance lightness, functionality, and extreme thermal fluctuation resistance. Shape-memory alloys show promise with strength, toughness, and substantial strain recovery due to superelasticity, but maintaining low mass and effective operation at cryogenic temperatures is challenging. We hereby introduce a novel shape-memory alloy that adheres to these stringent criteria. Predominantly composed of Ti and Al with a chemical composition of Ti
Al
Cr
, this alloy 25 is characterized by a low density (4.36
10
kg/m) and a high specific strength (18510 Pa
m/kg) at room temperature, while exhibiting excellent superelasticity. The superelasticity, owing to a reversible stress-induced phase transformation from an ordered body-centered cubic parent phase to an ordered orthorhombic martensite, allows for a recoverable strain exceeding 7%. Remarkably, this functionality persists across a broad range of temperatures, from deep cryogenic 4.2 K to above room temperature, arising from an unconventional temperature dependence of transformation stresses. Below a certain threshold during cooling, the critical transformation stress inversely correlates with temperature. We interpret this behavior from the perspective of a temperature-dependent anomalous lattice instability of the parent phase. This alloy holds potential in everyday appliances requiring flexible strain accommodations, as well as components designed for extreme environmental conditions such as deep space and liquefied gases.
Yoon, J.-Y.*; 竹内 祐太朗*; 武智 涼太*; Han, J.*; 内山 友宏*; 山根 結太*; 金井 駿*; 家田 淳一; 大野 英男*; 深見 俊輔*
Nature Communications (Internet), 16, p.1171_1 - 1171_8, 2025/02
被引用回数：0 パーセンタイル：0.00(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Spin-orbit torque (SOT) provides a promising mechanism for electrically encoding information in magnetic states. Unlike existing schemes, where the SOT is passively determined by the material and device structures, an active manipulation of the intrinsic SOT polarity would allow for flexibly programmable SOT devices. Achieving this requires electrical control of the current-induced spin polarization of the spin source. Here we demonstrate a proof-of-concept current-programmed SOT device. Using a noncollinear-anti-ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic/ferromagnetic MnSn/Mo/CoFeB hetero-structure at zero magnetic eld, we show current-induced switching in the CoFeB layer due to the spin current polarized by the magnetic structure of the MnSn; by properly tuning the driving current, the spin current from the CoFeB further reverses the magnetic orientation of the MnSn, which determines the polarity of the subsequent switching of the CoFeB. This scheme of mutual switching can be achieved in a spin-valve-like simple protocol because each magnetic layer serves as a reversible spin source and target magnetic electrode. It yields intriguing proof-of-concept functionalities for unconventional logic and neuromorphic computing.
Sanfilippo, A.*; 安邊 啓明; 他27名*
Nature Communications (Internet), 16, p.2016_1 - 2016_11, 2025/02
被引用回数：0 パーセンタイル：0.00(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Mantle processes control plate tectonics and exert an influence on biogeochemical cycles. However, the proportion of the mantle accessible to sampling is minimal, and a significant portion of our knowledge is derived from xenoliths, orogenic peridotite massifs exposed on land, and abyssal peridotites. Sampling of in-situ sections of the mantle is extremely challenging because they are buried beneath a magmatic crust with its sedimentary cover. In this study, we report the lithological characteristics of two mantle sections from an embryonic, very young, (~3 Ma) oceanic basin drilled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) in the central Tyrrhenian Sea. In contrast to observations made in drilled mantle sections from Mid Ocean Ridges (MORs) and hyperextended passive margins such as those in Iberia and Newfoundland, our findings revealed an exceptionally heterogeneous and generally fertile mantle. This represents a snapshot of young oceanic basement in a continental rifting environment characterised by general igneous starvation. The lithological heterogeneity ranges from fertile lherzolites to depleted harzburgites and dunites, variably interlayered with pyroxenites. Plagioclase- and clinopyroxene-rich layers, hydrous potassic magmatic veins, and gabbroic intrusions in these peridotites indicate substantial mantle re-fertilization and delayed inception of magmatic crust. The diverse lithological recovery indicates that magma-poor rifts do not necessarily require a chemically depleted mantle, too refractory to melt. Instead, we propose that deep lithospheric processes such as mantle refertilisation and prolonged lithospheric thinning hinder melt focusing and the formation of a steady-state spreading centre.
Zheng, X.-G.*; 山内 一宏*; 萩原 雅人; 西堀 英治*; 河江 達也*; 渡邊 功雄*; 内山 智貴*; Chen, Y.*; Xu, C.-N.*
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.9989_1 - 9989_12, 2024/11
被引用回数：0 パーセンタイル：0.00(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Like the crystallization of water to ice, magnetic transition occurs at a critical temperature after the slowing down of dynamically fluctuating short-range correlated spins. Here, we report a unique type of magnetic transition characterized by a linear increase in the volume fraction of unconventional static short-range-ordered spin clusters, which triggered a transition into a long-range order at a threshold fraction perfectly matching the bond percolation theory in a new quantum antiferromagnet of pseudo-trigonal Cu
(OH)
Cl
. Static short-range order appeared in its Kagome lattice plane below Ca. 20 K from a pool of coexisting spin liquid, linearly increasing its fraction to 0.492(8), then all Kagome spins transitioned into a stable two-dimensional spin order at _
_
_
_
$. The unconventional static nature of the short-range order was inferred to be due to a pinning effect by the strongly correlated coexisting spin liquids. This work presents a unique magnetic system to demonstrate a complete bond percolation process toward the critical transition. Meanwhile, the unconventionally developed magnetic order in this chemically clean system should shed new light on spin-liquid physics.
小澤 孝拓*; 福谷 克之; 他7名*
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.9558_1 - 9558_8, 2024/11
被引用回数：0 パーセンタイル：0.00(Multidisciplinary Sciences)Hydrogen, the smallest and lightest element, readily permeates a variety of materials and modulates their physical properties. Identification of the hydrogen lattice location and its amount in crystals is key to understanding and controlling the hydrogen-induced properties. Combining nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) with the ion channeling technique, we experimentally determined the locations of H and D in epitaxial nanofilms of titanium hydrides from the analysis of the two-dimensional angular mappings of NRA yields. Here we show that 11 at% of H are located at the octahedral site with the remaining H atoms in the tetrahedral site. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the structures with the partial octahedral site occupation are stabilized by the Fermi level shift and Jahn-Teller effect induced by hydrogen. In contrast, D was found to solely occupy the tetrahedral site owing to the mass effect on the zero-point vibrational energy. These findings suggest that site occupation of hydrogen can be controlled by changing the isotope mixture ratio, which leads to promising manifestation of novel hydrogen-related phenomena.
町田 晃彦*; 齋藤 寛之*; 杉本 秀彦*; 服部 高典; 佐野 亜沙美; 遠藤 成輝*; 片山 芳則*; 飯塚 理子*; 佐藤 豊人*; 松尾 元彰*; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.8861_1 - 8861_2, 2024/10
被引用回数：0 パーセンタイル：0.00(Multidisciplinary Sciences)前回の論文(Nature Commun. 5, 5063 (2014))では、988Kと6.3GPaで収集した中性子粉末回折パターンのリートベルト精密化によって、fcc Fe金属格子に溶解したD原子のサイト占有率を調べた。fcc金属格子には、八面体サイトと四面体サイトの2つのD原子収容可能な格子間サイトがある。リートベルト精密化により、D原子は主に八面体サイトを0.532占有し、わずかに四面体サイトを0.056占有することがわかった。その後、Antonov (Phys. Rev. Mater. 2019))による密度汎関数理論(DFT)計算の結果、四面体サイトの占有エネルギーは八面体サイトの占有エネルギーよりも著しく高く、988Kの高温でも四面体サイトの占有は起こりにくいことがわかった。消衰補正は粉末回折パターンに適用されることはまれであり、前回の精密化には含まれていなかった。その結果、八面体の占有率は0.60に増加し、四面体の占有率はゼロに減少した。D原子の八面体サイトのみの占有は、以前の結果とは対照的ではあるが、DFT計算と一致している。
-
transitionsYang, Q.*; Yang, X.*; Wang, Y.*; Fei, Y.*; Li, F.*; Zheng, H.*; Li, K.*; Han, Y.*; 服部 高典; Zhu, P.*; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.7778_1 - 7778_9, 2024/09
被引用回数：9 パーセンタイル：88.46(Multidisciplinary Sciences)明るい一重項励起子と三重項励起子を同時に発現する発光材料は、オプトエレクトロニクス、サイネージ、情報暗号化において大きな可能性を秘めている。しかしながら、高性能の白色発光を実現するためには、蛍光と燐光の寄与が不均衡であることが大きな障害となっている。ここでは、水素結合の協同効果による圧力処理エンジニアリングによって、n--遷移の混合を実現し、イソフタル酸(IPA)中で三重項状態の発光を7%から40%に高めることで、この課題に対処した。加圧処理したIPAでは、蛍光と燐光のハイブリッドに基づく優れた白色発光が得られ、フォトルミネッセンス量子収率は当初の19%(青色発光)から75%に増加した。その場での高圧IRスペクトル、X線回折、中性子回折から、圧力の上昇に伴い水素結合が連続的に強化されることが明らかになった。さらに、この強化された水素結合は、圧力処理後も常圧条件下まで保持され、バランスの取れた一重項/三重項励起子集団のための効率的な系間交差を目的としたIPAに与え、効率的な白色発光をもたらした。この研究は、有機低分子の三重項状態を明るくするルートを提案するだけでなく、一重項励起子と三重項励起子の比率を調節して、高性能の白色発光を構築するものである。
archaea host diverse and interacting extrachromosomal elementsShi, L.-D.*; West-Roberts, J.*; Schoelmerich, M. C.*; Penev, P. I.*; Chen, L.-X.*; 天野 由記; Lei, S.*; Sachdeva, R.*; Banfield, J. F.*
Nature Microbiology (Internet), 9(9), p.2422 - 2433, 2024/09
被引用回数：1 パーセンタイル：45.91(Microbiology)Methane emissions that contribute to climate change can be mitigated by anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea such as . Some have huge extrachromosomal genetic elements (ECEs) called Borgs that may modulate their activity, yet the broader diversity of ECEs is little studied. Here, we report small enigmatic linear ECEs, circular viruses and unclassified ECEs, that we predict replicate within . The linear ECEs have features such as inverted terminal repeats, pervasive tandem repeats, and coding patterns that are strongly reminiscent of Borgs, but they are only 52 kb to 145 kb in length. They share proteins with Borgs and . Thus, we refer to them as mini-Borgs. Mini-Borgs are genetically diverse and we assign them to at least five family-level groups. We also identify eight novel families of viruses, some of which encode multiheme cytochromes, and unclassified circular ECEs that encode TnpB genes. A population-heterogeneous CRISPR array is encoded in close proximity to TnpB and has spacers that target other ECEs including previously reported plasmids. The diverse groups of ECEs exchange genetic information with each other and with , likely impacting the activity and evolution of these environmentally important archaea.
Lan, Z.*; 有川 安信*; Mirfayzi, S. R.*; Morace, A.*; 早川 岳人*; 佐藤 博隆*; 加美山 隆*; Wei, T.*; 巽 湧太*; 小泉 光生; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.5365_1 - 5365_7, 2024/07
被引用回数：3 パーセンタイル：79.20(Multidisciplinary Sciences)The temperature measurement of material inside of an object is one of the key technologies for control of dynamical processes. For this purpose, various techniques such as laser-based thermography and phase-contrast imaging thermography have been studied. However, it is, in principle, impossible to measure the temperature of an element inside of an object using these techniques. One of the possible solutions is measurements of Doppler brooding effect in neutron resonance absorption (NRA). Here we present a method to measure the temperature of an element or an isotope inside of an object using NRA with a single neutron pulse of approximately 100 ns width provided from a high-power laser. We demonstrate temperature measurements of a tantalum (Ta) metallic foil heated from the room temperature up to 617 K. Although the neutron energy resolution is fluctuated from shot to shot, we obtain the temperature dependence of resonance Doppler broadening using a reference of a silver (Ag) foil kept to the room temperature. A free gas model well reproduces the results. This method enables element(isotope)-sensitive thermometry to detect the instantaneous temperature rise in dynamical processes.
Han, J.*; 内村 友宏*; 荒木 康史; Yoon, J.-Y.*; 竹内 祐太郎*; 山根 結太*; 金井 駿*; 家田 淳一; 大野 英男*; 深見 俊輔*
Nature Physics, 20(7), p.1110 - 1117, 2024/07
被引用回数：15 パーセンタイル：96.56(Physics, Multidisciplinary)量子状態の幾何学的構造を特徴づける基礎的な量として、「量子計量」と「ベリー曲率」が存在する。ベリー曲率は、凝縮系において多種の重要な現象に寄与することが知られている。一方、量子計量も新たなトポロジカル物理現象の起源となることが予想されているが、特に常温常圧下においては、その効果はほとんど探索されていない。本研究では、トポロジカルカイラル反強磁性体MnSnと白金の接合系を用い、界面でのナノスピン構造を介して、電子系の量子計量構造の制御に成功した。ベリー曲率ではなく量子計量特有の効果として、時間反転反対称でかつ電子散乱に対して頑強な、二次非線形ホール効果を測定した。更に、界面スピン構造は弱磁場及び界面スピン軌道相互作用によって急峻に変調されるため、量子計量構造も鋭敏に制御可能であることを示した。本研究成果により、量子状態に内在する量子計量構造を活用したトポロジカル物理現象が室温環境下でも可能になり、且つ応用面においても非線形素子を構築する助けとなることが期待される。
Zeng, Z.*; Zhou, C.*; Zhou, H.*; Han, L.*; Chi, R.*; Li, K.*; 古府 麻衣子; 中島 健次; Wei, Y.*; Zhang, W.*; et al.
Nature Physics, 20(7), p.1097 - 1102, 2024/07
被引用回数：10 パーセンタイル：94.36(Physics, Multidisciplinary)Emergent quasiparticles with a Dirac dispersion in condensed matter systems can be described by the Dirac equation for relativistic electrons, in analogy with Dirac particles in high-energy physics. For example, electrons with a Dirac dispersion have been intensively studied in electronic systems such as graphene and topological insulators. However, charge is not a prerequisite for Dirac fermions, and the emergence of Dirac fermions without a charge degree of freedom has been theoretically predicted to be realized in Dirac quantum spin liquids. These quasiparticles carry a spin of 1/2 but are charge-neutral and so are called spinons. Here we show that the spin excitations of a kagome antiferromagnet, YCu(OD)
Br
[Br
(OD)
], are conical with a spin continuum inside, which is consistent with the convolution of two Dirac spinons. The predictions of a Dirac spin liquid model with a spinon velocity obtained from spectral measurements are in agreement with the low-temperature specific heat of the sample. Our results, thus, provide spectral evidence for a Dirac quantum spin liquid state emerging in this kagome lattice antiferromagnet. However, the locations of the conical spin excitations differ from those calculated by the nearest-neighbor Heisenberg model, suggesting the Dirac spinons have an unexpected origin.
O ice observed by neutron diffraction小松 一生*; 服部 高典; Klotz, S.*; 町田 真一*; 山下 恵史朗*; 伊藤 颯*; 小林 大輝*; 入舩 徹男*; 新名 亨*; 佐野 亜沙美; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.5100_1 - 5100_7, 2024/06
被引用回数：4 パーセンタイル：72.77(Multidisciplinary Sciences)水素結合の対称化とは、水素原子が水素結合の中心に位置する現象である。理論的研究により、氷VIIの水素結合は、圧力が増加するにつれて、水素の分布を変化させながら、いくつかの中間状態を経て、最終的に対称化すると予測されている。これまで、多くの実験的研究が行われてきたにもかかわらず、その水素の位置や転移圧力は一貫していない。われわれは、100GPa以上の圧力で中性子回折実験を行い、氷中の水素分布を決定し、隣接酸素間での分布が80GPa付近で2つから1つになり水素結合が対称化することを世界で初めて観測した。
市川 翼*; 箱嶋 秀昭*; 乾 幸地*; 伊藤 康介*; 松田 亮*; 御手洗 光祐*; 宮本 幸一*; 水上 渉*; 水田 郁*; 森 俊夫*; et al.
Nature Reviews Physics (Internet), 6(6), p.345 - 347, 2024/06
被引用回数：7 パーセンタイル：99.15(Physics, Applied)Access to quantum computers has been democratized by the availability of cloud services from commercial providers, but the numbers of qubits users can exploit have remained modest, limited by noise and errors. What are these qubits used for and what can we expect next?
巻内 崇彦*; 日置 友智*; 清水 祐樹*; 星 幸治郎*; Elyasi, M.*; 山本 慧; 横井 直人*; Serga, A. A.*; Hillebrands, B.*; Bauer, G. E. W.*; et al.
Nature Materials, 23(5), p.627 - 632, 2024/05
被引用回数：10 パーセンタイル：94.22(Chemistry, Physical)When excited, a magnetization in a magnet precesses around the field in an anticlockwise manner on a time scale governed by viscous magnetization damping, after which any information carried by the initial actuation seems to be lost. The damping appears to be a fundamental bottleneck for the use of magnets in information processing. Nevertheless, here we demonstrate recall of the magnetization-precession phase after times that far exceed the damping time scale by two orders of magnitude using dedicated two-colour microwave pump-and-probe experiments for a YFe
O microstructured film. Time- resolved magnetization state tomography confirms the magnetic persistent coherence (MPC) by revealing a double-exponential decay of the magnetization correlation. We attribute MPC to a feedback effect, viz. coherent coupling of the uniform precession with long-lived excitations at the minima of the spin-wave dispersion relation. Our finding liberates magnetic systems from the strong damping in nanostructures tyranny that limits their use in coherent information storage and processing.
Lei, Y.-J.*; 松村 大樹; 他15名*
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.3325_1 - 3325_12, 2024/04
被引用回数：30 パーセンタイル：98.78(Multidisciplinary Sciences)The effective flow of electrons through bulk electrodes is crucial for achieving high-performance batteries, although the poor conductivity of homocyclic sulfur molecules results in high barriers against the passage of electrons through electrode structures. This phenomenon causes incomplete reactions and the formation of metastable products. To enhance the performance of the electrode, it is important to place substitutable electrification units to accelerate the cleavage of sulfur molecules and increase the selectivity of stable products during charging and discharging. Herein, we develop a single-atom-charging strategy to address the electron transport issues in bulk sulfur electrodes. The establishment of the synergistic interaction between the adsorption model and electronic transfer helps us achieve a high level of selectivity towards the desirable short-chain sodium polysulfides during the practical battery test. These finding indicates that the atomic manganese sites have an enhanced ability to capture and donate electrons. Additionally, the charge transfer process facilitates the rearrangement of sodium ions, thereby accelerating the kinetics of the sodium ions through the electrostatic force. These combined effects improve pathway selectivity and conversion to stable products during the redox process, leading to superior electrochemical performance for room temperature sodium-sulfur batteries.
Zhao, K.*; 常盤 欣文; Chen, H.*; Gegenwart, P.*
Nature Physics, 20(3), p.442 - 449, 2024/03
被引用回数：10 パーセンタイル：95.37(Physics, Multidisciplinary)磁性結晶において、時間反転対称性が明示的に破れているにもかかわらず、時間反転に関連する二つの平衡状態は常にエネルギー的に等価である。強磁性体では、この時間反転の等価性は磁化の磁場依存性のヒステリシスおよび金属的な場合には異常ホール効果(AHE)のヒステリシスに現れる。時間反転において、これらの量は符号が変わるが、その大きさは変わらない。ここでは、金属的なカゴメ型スピンアイスHoAgGeにおいて、カゴメ面に平行な磁場が印加された際に時間反転に似た等価性が現れることを示す。低温で磁化の磁場依存性においては消失するヒステリシスが見られるが、磁場依存のAHEにおいては有限のヒステリシスがある。これは、ほぼ同じエネルギーと純磁化を持ちながら、AHEと縦方向の磁気抵抗の大きさが異なる状態の出現を示唆している。実験データと最小のタイトバインディングモデルの解析により、これらのほぼ等価な状態を関連付ける時間反転に似た操作を特定した。これは、HoAgGeにおけるカゴメ格子の非自明な歪みに関連している。われわれの研究は、トランスポート現象がイライラしたスピン系における隠れた対称性を特定するための診断力を示している。
雨倉 宏*; Chettah, A.*; 鳴海 一雅*; 千葉 敦也*; 平野 貴美*; 山田 圭介*; 山本 春也*; Leino, A. A.*; Djurabekova, F.*; Nordlund, K.*; et al.
Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.1786_1 - 1786_10, 2024/02
被引用回数：2 パーセンタイル：62.71(Multidisciplinary Sciences)高い電子的阻止能領域の照射条件で高エネルギー重イオンを固体に照射すると、イオンの飛跡に沿って潜在イオントラックと呼ばれる柱状の損傷領域が形成される。イオントラックは、多くの物質中で形成されていることが知られているが、ダイヤモンドにおいて観察された例は皆無であった。高エネルギー(GeV)のウランイオンにおいてさえ、観察された例はない。本研究では、2-9MeV C
フラーレンイオンを照射したダイヤモンドにおいて、初めてイオントラックが観察された。高分解能電子顕微鏡による観察により、イオントラックの内部がアモルファス化していることが示唆され、さらに、電子エネルギー損失分光法による分析によって、グラファイト由来の
-結合の信号が検知された。分子動力学法に基づく計算シミュレーションで、上記の実験結果を再現することに成功した。
