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KCuCl$_3$ is known to show a quantum phase transition from the disordered to antiferromagnetically ordered phases by applying pressure. There is a longitudinal excitation mode (Higgs amplitude mode) in the vicinity of the quantum critical point in the ordered phase. To detect the Higgs amplitude mode, high-pressure ESR measurements are performed in KCuCl$_3$. The experimental data are analyzed by the extended spin-wave theory on the basis of the vector spin chirality. We report the first ESR detection of the Higgs amplitude mode and the important role of the electric dipole described by the vector spin chirality., 24 pages, 12 figures

A theory of magnetoacoustic resonance is proposed to measure quadrupole-strain couplings in a spin-triplet state with the $C_{3v}$ point group symmetry, considering the spin-strain interaction in a diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center. Based on the Floquet theory, we demonstrate how the single- and two-phonon transition probabilities depend on the change in the longitudinal and transverse quadrupole couplings, which can be controlled by rotating an applied magnetic field, around the threefold axis. The obtained quadrupole dynamics results are useful for realizing mechanical or ac strain-control of the NV spin as an alternative to the conventional magnetic control by spin resonance., 13 pages, 5 figures

Magnetoelectric effects in honeycomb antiferromagnet Co4Nb2O9 are investigated on the basis of symmetry analyses of Co ions in trigonal P-3c1 space group. For each Co ion, the possible spin dependence is classified by C3 point-group symmetry. This accounts for the observed main effect that an electric polarization rotates in the opposite direction at the twice speed relative to the rotation of the external magnetic field applied in the ab-plane. Inversion centers and twofold axes in the unit cell restrict the active spin-dependence of the electric polarization, which well explains the observed experimental results. Expected optical properties of quadrupolar excitation and various types of dichroism are also discussed., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures

It is known that the longitudinal and transverse excitation modes can exist in the vicinity of a quantum critical point in the ordered phase of quantum magnetic systems. The total moment sum rule for such systems is derived on the basis of the extended spin-wave theory, where both longitudinal and transverse magnetic excitations are taken into account. The sum rule is resolved into elastic, one-magnon, and two-magnon components. The formulation is applicable to spin systems with the longitudinal mode, such as $S=1$ systems with single-ion anisotropy of easy-plane type and spin dimer systems. The result helps us analyze and understand measured data of inelastic neutron scattering., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures

Motivated by the recent progress of high-frequency ultrasonic measurements, we propose a theory of magnetoacoustic resonance as a microscopic probe for quadrupole degrees of freedom hidden in magnetic materials. A local strain driven by an acoustic wave couples to electronic states of a magnetic ion through various quadrupole-strain couplings, and this provides a periodically time-dependent oscillating field. As a typical two-level system with the quadrupole, we consider a non-Kramers doublet and investigate single- and multiphonon-mediated transition processes on the basis of the Floquet theory. An analytic form of the transition probability is derived within the weak coupling theory, which helps us analyze the magnetoacoustic quadrupole resonance. We apply the theory to realistic non-Kramers doublet systems for the f2 configuration in Oh and D4h symmetries, and discuss how to identify the relevant quadrupole by controlling the quadrupole-strain coupling with an applied magnetic field in ultrasonic measurements., 13 pages, 5 figures

Motivated by the recent progress of phonon-mediated control in quantum spin devices, we propose a possibility of hybrid measurement using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and a surface acoustic wave (SAW). Considering quadrupole-strain (QS) couplings suggested for silicon vacancies, we present a minimum model of the two-level system to investigate a magnetoacoustic resonance (MAR) coupled to various strain modes driven by the SAW. The longitudinal and transverse QS couplings can be changed by rotating a magnetic field, which depends on a combination of the strain modes. Using the Floquet theory, we elucidate each coupling effect on the time-averaged transition probability, especially focus on a single-phonon transition process. The important result is that the longitudinal QS coupling brings about a sharp photon-assisted resonance and leads to an abrupt change in the field-angle dependent transition probability. Since this phonon transition process is always accompanied by the photon transition, the field angle for the sharp resonance peak can be detected by the EPR measurement. The hybrid EPR-MAR measurement is useful to confirm the existence of quadrupole degrees of freedom strongly coupled to elastic strains, and thus it is expected to be a complementary probe for the precise evaluation of quadrupole properties., Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures

The notion of a quasiparticle, such as a phonon, a roton, or a magnon, is used in modern condensed matter physics to describe an elementary collective excitation. The intrinsic zero-temperature magnon damping in quantum spin systems can be driven by the interaction of the one-magnon states and multi-magnon continuum. However, detailed experimental studies on this quantum many-body effect induced by an applied magnetic field are rare. Here we present a high-resolution neutron scattering study in high fields on an S=1/2 antiferromagnet C9H18N2CuBr4. Compared with the non-interacting linear spin-wave theory, our results demonstrate a variety of phenomena including field-induced renormalization of one-magnon dispersion, spontaneous magnon decay observed via intrinsic linewidth broadening, unusual non-Lorentzian two-peak structure in the excitation spectra, and a dramatic shift of spectral weight from one-magnon state to the two-magnon continuum., 8 pages, 6 figures, some typos were corrected in the revised version

A triangular triple quantum dot gives various Kondo effects, such as the emergence of an electric polarization accompanied by a complete compensation of spin degrees of freedom. The interplay of spin and charge of electrons in quantum dots is investigated using an Anderson model with an equilateral triangular spin cluster, in which a single electron state at one site is hybridized with a conduction band in a lead. The numerical renormalization group analysis shows how a nonzero electric polarization develops with local electrons traveling in the loop and how it depends on the hybridization strength as an experimentally controllable parameter in the Kondo effect., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

We performed inelastic neutron scattering experiments on Cu$_2$$^{114}$Cd$^{11}$B$_2$O$_6$ powder. The magnetic excitations at low temperatures are similar to those of the interacting spin-1/2 tetramers in the ordered state. The weak excitations existing above 3 meV suggest that the Higgs mode appears in Cu$_2$CdB$_2$O$_6$ at ambient pressure and zero magnetic field. We evaluated $J_1 = 27.3 \pm 1.0$ and $J_2 = -14.0 \pm 1.4$ meV for the intra-tetramer interactions and $J_3 = -0.4 \pm 0.2$ and $J_4 = 1.4 \pm 0.2$ meV for the inter-tetramer interactions. The spin gap in the isolated spin tetramer was calculated to be 1.6 meV, which is less than the effective inter-tetramer interaction value ($3.6 \pm 0.8$ meV). Therefore, antiferromagnetic long-range order is possible, although the ground state of the isolated spin tetramer is the spin-singlet state. We discuss the temperature dependence of the magnetic excitations., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 1 table

In PrOs4Sb12, the lowest-lying singlet and triplet states in a Pr 4f^2 configuration hybridize with conduction electrons having local a_u and t_u point-group symmetries. It is shown that for an attractive triplet pairing interaction, the orbital degrees of freedom of the t_u component are important. In addition, the Th point-group symmetry characteristic of skutterudites plays an important role in stabilizing triplet superconductivity., 4 pages, 2 figures

The Kondo effect in a $p_x + {\rm i} p_y$-wave superconductor is studied by applying the Wilson's numerical renormalization group method. In this type of superconductor with a full energy gap like a s-wave one, the ground state is always a spin doublet, while a local spin is shrunk by the Kondo effect. The calculated magnetic susceptibility indicates that the spin of the ground state is generated by the orbital effect of the $p_x + {\rm i} p_y$-wave Cooper pairs. The effect of spin polarization of the triplet superconductor is also discussed., 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn

We study the local antisymmetric spin-orbit (ASO) coupling effect on spin, orbital, and charge degrees of freedom for the Kondo effect in a triangular triple quantum dot (TTQD). Here, one of the three QDs is coupled to a metallic lead through electron tunneling, and a local electric polarization is induced by the Kondo effect. The ASO interaction is introduced in the other two coupled QDs on the opposite side of the lead. Generally, the ASO coupling effect is very weak and not easily detectable, but it essentially causes spin and charge reconfigurations in the TTQD through the Kondo effect. Using an extended Anderson model for the TTQD Kondo system, we elucidate that the ASO coupling gives rise to a considerable reduction of the emergent electric polarization, as a consequence of the parity mixing of molecular orbitals in the triangular loop as well as the spin-up and spin-down coupling of local electrons. The latter leads to a local diamagnetic susceptibility owing to the ASO coupled spins. We also show that the Kondo-induced electric polarization can be controlled by the ASO coupling as well as by the magnetic flux penetrating through the TTQD., 11 pages, 5 figures

Spin-dependent electric dipole operators are investigated group-theoretically for the emergence of an electric dipole induced by a single spin or by two spins, where the spin dependences are completely classified up to the quadratic order. For a single spin, a product of spin operators behaves as an even-parity electric quadrupole operator, which differs from an odd-parity electric dipole. The lack of the inversion symmetry allows the even- and odd-parity mixing, which leads to the electric dipole described by the electric quadruple operators. Point-group tables are given for classification of the possible spin-dependent electric dipoles and for the qualitative analysis of multiferroic properties, such as an emergent electric dipole moment coexisting with a magnetic moment, electromagnon excitation, and directional dichroism. The results can be applied to a magnetic ion in crystals or embedded in molecules at a site without the inversion symmetry. In the presence of an inversion symmetry, the electric dipole does not appear for a single spin. This is not the case for the electric dipole induced by two spins with antisymmetric spin dependence, which is known as vector spin chirality, in the presence of the inversion center between the two spins. In the absence of the inversion center, symmetric spin-dependent electric dipoles are also relevant. The detailed analysis of various symmetries of two-spin states is applied to spin dimer systems and the related multiferroic properties., Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures

Orbital degrees of freedom of a Cooper pair play an important role in the unconventional superconductivity. To elucidate the orbital effect in the Kondo problem, we investigated a single magnetic impurity coupled to Cooper pairs with a $p_x +i p_y$ ($d_{x^2-y^2}+id_{xy}$) symmetry using the numerical renormalization group method. It is found that the ground state is always a spin doublet. The analytical solution for the strong coupling limit explicitly shows that the orbital dynamics of the Cooper pair generates the spin 1/2 of the ground state., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, JPSJ.sty, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 70 (2001) No. 10

Magnetic excitation in a spin dimer system on a bilayer honeycomb lattice is investigated in the presence of a zigzag edge, where disordered and ordered phases can be controlled by a quantum phase transition. In analogy with the case of graphene with a zigzag edge, a flat edge magnon mode appears in the disordered phase. In an ordered phase, a finite magnetic moment generates a mean-field potential to the magnon. Since the potential is nonuniform on the edge and bulk sites, it affects the excitation, and the dispersion of the edge mode deviates from the flat shape. We investigate how the edge magnon mode evolves when the phase changes through the quantum phase transition and discuss the similarities to ordered spin systems on a monolayer honeycomb lattice., Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures

We study an orbitally degenerate Kondo effect in a triangular triple quantum dot (TTQD), where the three dots are connected vertically with a single metallic lead through electron tunneling. Both spin and orbital degrees of freedom play an important role in the SU(4) Kondo effect. This is demonstrated by an equilateral TTQD Kondo system at half-filling, by Wilson's numerical renormalization group method. We show how an emergent electric polarization of the TTQD is associated with a crossover from SU(4) to SU(2) symmetry in the low-temperature state. A marked sign reversal of the electric polarization is generated by the fine-tuning of Kondo coupling with degenerate orbitals, which can be utilized to reveal orbital dynamics in the SU(4) Kondo effect., 5 pages, 5 figures

A novel superconducting state under the broken time-reversal symmetry is studied in conventional phonon-mediated superconductors. By solving the Eliashberg equation self-consistently with the mass renormalization effect, it is found that the even- and odd-frequency components of the order parameter coexist in the bulk system as a consequence of the broken time-reversal symmetry. This finding would direct more attention to the odd-frequency pairing that affects physical quantities, especially in strong coupling superconductors., 5 pages, 4 figures

We measure Raman scattering in an interacting spin-dimer system KCuCl3 under hydrostatic pressures up to 5 GPa mediated by He gas. In the pressure-induced quantum phase, we observe a one-magnon Raman peak, which originates from the longitudinal magnetic excitationand is observable through the second-order exchange interaction Raman process. We report the pressure dependence of the frequency, halfwidth and Raman intensity of this mode., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, inpress in JPCS as a proceeding of LT26

We study inelastic (dynamical) impurity scattering effects in two-band superconductors with the same ($s_{++}$ wave) or different ($s_\pm$ wave) sign order parameters. We focus on the enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ by magnetic interband scattering with the interchange of crystal-field singlet ground and multiplet excited states. Either the $s_{++}$-wave or $s_\pm$-wave state is favored by the impurity-mediated pairing, which depends on the magnetic and nonmagnetic scattering strengths derived from the hybridization of the impurity states with the conduction bands. The details are examined for the singlet-triplet configuration that is suggestive of Pr impurities in the skutterudite superconductor LaOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$., 14 pages, 5 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol. 79, No. 9 (2010)

A single impurity problem is investigated for multiband s-wave superconductors with different sign order parameters (+-s-wave superconductors) suggested in Fe-pnictide superconductors. Not only intraband but also interband scattering is considered at the impurity. The latter gives rise to impurity-induced local boundstates close to the impurity. We present an exact form of the energy of the local boundstates as a function of strength of the two types of impurity scattering. The essential role of the impurity is unchanged in finite number of impurities. The main conclusions for a single impurity problem help us understand effects of dense impurities in the +-s-wave superconductors. Local density of states around the single impurity is also investigated. We suggest impurity site nuclear magnetic resonance as a suitable experiment to probe the local boundstates that is peculiar to the +-s-wave state. We find that the +-s-wave model is mapped to a chiral dx2-y2+-idxy-wave, reflecting the unconventional nature of the sign reversing order parameter. For a quantum magnetic impurity, interband scattering destabilizes the Kondo singlet., Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. (2009) No. 8

We follow the evolution of the elementary excitations of the quantum antiferromagnet TlCuCl3 through the pressure-induced quantum critical point, which separates a dimer-based quantum disordered phase from a phase of long-ranged magnetic order. We demonstrate by neutron spectroscopy the continuous emergence in the weakly ordered state of a low-lying but massive excitation corresponding to longitudinal fluctuations of the magnetic moment. This mode is not present in a classical description of ordered magnets, but is a direct consequence of the quantum critical point., 4 pages, 4 figures

The compound TlCuCl3 represents a model system of dimerized quantum spins with strong interdimer interactions. We investigate the triplet dispersion as a function of temperature by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on single crystals. By comparison with a number of theoretical approaches we demonstrate that the description of Troyer, Tsunetsugu, and Wuertz [Phys. Rev. B 50, 13515 (1994)] provides an appropriate quantum statistical model for dimer spin systems at finite temperatures, where many-body correlations become particularly important., 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letters

The most important character of the exotic superconductor PrOs4Sb12 is the existence of low-lying excitations (excitons) with a finite energy gap and it appears as the magnetic field-induced order above 4.5 T. We focus on the a_u conduction band, which hybridizes with a Pr 4f^2 state strongly, coupled to the excitons. It results in an attractive interaction between the conduction electrons. The symmetry of the superconducting order parameter is determined by dispersion relation of the exciton. For the bcc system PrOs4Sb12, a d-wave state [kx ky + omega ky kz + omega^2 kz kx, omega=exp(pm i 2 pi/3)] is stabilized with broken time reversal symmetry., 4 pages

Magnetoelastic properties in field-induced magnetic ordered phases are studied theoretically based on a Ginzburg-Landau theory. A critical field for the field-induced ordered phase is obtained as a function of temperature and pressure, which determine the phase diagram. It is found that magnetic field dependence of elastic constant decreases discontinuously at the critical field, Hc, and that it decreases linearly with field in the ordered phase (H>Hc). We found an Ehrenfest relation between the field dependence of the elastic constant and the pressure dependence of critical field. Our theory provides the theoretical form for magnetoelastic properties in field- and pressure-induced ordered phases., 7 pages, 3 figures

Thallium copper chloride is a quantum spin liquid of S = 1/2 Cu^2+ dimers. Interdimer superexchange interactions give a three-dimensional magnon dispersion and a spin gap significantly smaller than the dimer coupling. This gap is closed by an applied hydrostatic pressure of approximately 2kbar or by a magnetic field of 5.6T, offering a unique opportunity to explore the both types of quantum phase transition and their associated critical phenomena. We use a bond-operator formulation to obtain a continuous description of all disordered and ordered phases, and thus of the transitions separating these. Both pressure- and field-induced transitions may be considered as the Bose-Einstein condensation of triplet magnon excitations, and the respective phases of staggered magnetic order as linear combinations of dimer singlet and triplet modes. We focus on the evolution with applied pressure and field of the magnetic excitations in each phase, and in particular on the gapless (Goldstone) modes in the ordered regimes which correspond to phase fluctuations of the ordered moment. The bond-operator description yields a good account of the magnetization curves and of magnon dispersion relations observed by inelastic neutron scattering under applied fields, and a variety of experimental predictions for pressure-dependent measurements., 20 pages, 17 figures

The Kondo effect strongly depends on spin and orbital degrees of freedom of unconventional superconductivity. We focus on the Kondo effect in the $p_x + i p_y$-wave and $d_{x^2 - y^2} + i d_{xy}$-wave superconductors to compare the magnetic properties of the spin-triplet and spin-singlet Cooper pairs. The difference appears when both of the paired electrons couple to a local spin directly. For the $p_x + i p_y$-wave, the ground state is always a spin doublet for a $S_{\rm imp} = 1/2$ local spin, and it is always a spin singlet for $S_{\rm imp} = 1$. The latter is due to uniaxial spin anisotropy of the triplet Cooper pair. For the $d_{x^2 - y^2} + i d_{xy}$-wave, the interchange of ground states occurs, which resembles a competition between the Kondo effect and the superconducting energy gap in s-wave superconductors. Thus the internal degrees of freedom of Cooper pairs give a variety to the Kondo effect., 7 pages, 6 figures, RevTex, to be published in Phys. Rev. B

A new type of Kondo effect peculiar to unconventional superconductors is studied theoretically by using the Wilson's numerical renormalization group method. In this case, an angular momentum of a Cooper pair plays an important role in the Kondo effect. It produces multichannel exchange couplings with a local spin. Here we focus on a $p_x +i p_y$-wave state which is a full gap system. The calculated impurity susceptibility shows that the local spin is almost quenched by the Kondo effect in the strong coupling region ($T_{\rm K}/\Delta \to \infty$), while the ground state is always a spin doublet over all the $T_{\rm K}/\Delta$ region. Here $T_{\rm K}$ and $\Delta$ are the Kondo temperature and the superconducting energy gap, respectively. This is different from the s-wave pairing case where the Kondo singlet is realized for large $T_{\rm K}/\Delta$ values. The strong coupling analysis shows that the $p_x +i p_y$-wave Cooper pair is connected to the Kondo singlet via the orbital dynamics of the paired electrons, generating the spin of the ground state. This type of Kondo effect reflects the symmetry of the conduction electron system., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, revtex, to be published in Phys. Rev. B

Impurity nuclear spin relaxation is studied theoretically. A single impurity generates a bound state localized around the impurity atom in unconventional superconductors. With increasing impurity potential, the relaxation rate $T_1^{-1}$ is reduced by the impurity potential. However, it has a peak at low temperatures due to the impurity bound state. The peak disappears at non-impurity sites. The impurity site NMR measurement detecting a local electronic structure just on the impurity atom is very useful for identifying the unconventional pairing states., 4 pages, 5 figures, JPSJ.sty

It was previously suggested that an odd-frequency pair amplitude exists in the vicinity of boundaries in unconventional superconductors. We develop this idea and quest for a novel superconducting order parameter with an odd-frequency dependence. For this purpose, we focus on p-wave superconductors and extend the quasi-classical theory to include the odd-frequency dependence in the order parameter. Both of the frequency and spacial dependences of the order parameter are determined self-consistently. Under a finite electron-phonon interaction, it is found that an odd-frequency order parameter is stabilized near the boundary and coexists with the even-frequency one. By analyzing the induced odd-frequency pair amplitude in terms of the superconducting quasi-particle wavefunction, it is found that the mid-gap bound state generates the emergent odd-frequency order parameter., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures

Roles of multipole degrees of freedom in multiband superconductors are investigated in a case of impurities whose low-lying states consist of singlet ground and triplet excited states, which is related to the experimental fact that the transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ is increased by Pr substitution for La in LaOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$. The most important contribution to the $T_{\rm c}$ increase comes from the inelastic interband scattering of electrons coupled to quadrupole or octupole moments of impurities. It is found that a magnetic field modifies an effective pairing interaction and the scattering anisotropy appears in the field-orientation dependence of the upper critical field $H_{{\rm c}2}$ in the vicinity of $T_{\rm c}$, although a uniaxial anisotropic field is required for experimental detection. This would be proof that the Pr internal degrees of freedom are relevant to the stability of superconductivity in (La$_{1-x}$Pr$_x$)Os$_4$Sb$_{12}$., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn