Low-energy optical excitation in rare-earth hexaborides

Bulk-sensitive spin-resolved resonant electron energy-loss spectroscopy (SR-rEELS): Observation of element- and spin-selective bulk plasmons

We have developed spin-resolved resonant electron energy-loss spectroscopy with the primary energy of 0.3-1.5 keV, which corresponds to the core excitations of 2p-3d absorption of transition metals and 3d-4f absorption of rare-earths, with the energy resolution of about 100 meV using a spin-polarized electron source as a GaAs/GaAsP strained superlattice photocathode. Element- and spin-selective carrier and valence plasmons can be observed using the resonance enhancement of core absorptions and electron spin polarization. Furthermore, bulk-sensitive electron energy-loss spectroscopy spectra can be obtained because the primary energy corresponds to the mean free path of 1-10 nm. The methodology is expected to provide us with novel information about elementary excitations by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy.

Luminous exothermic hollow optical elements for enhancement of biofilm growth and activity

In this work, we present a luminous-exothermic hollow optical element (LEHOE) that performs spectral beam splitting in the visible spectral range for the enhancement of biofilm growth and activity. The LEHOE is composed of a four-layer structure with a fiber core (air), cladding (SiO₂), coating I (LaB₆ film), and coating II (SiO₂-Agarose-Medium film). To clarify the physical, optical and photothermal conversion properties of the LEHOE, we determined the surface morphology and composition of the coating materials, and examined the luminous intensity and heating rate at the LEHOE surface. The biofilm activity on the biocompatible LEHOE is far greater than that of commercial fibers, and the biofilm weight on the LEHOE is 4.5 × that of the uncoated hollow optical element.

Optical properties of group-3 metal hexaboride nanoparticles by first-principles calculations

LaB6 nanoparticles are widely used as solar control materials for strong near-infrared absorption and high visible transparency. In order to elucidate the origin of this unique optical property, first-principles calculations have been made for the energy-band structure and dielectric functions of R(III)B6 (R(III) = Sc, Y, La, Ac). On account of the precise assessment of the energy eigenvalues of vacant states in conduction band by employing the screened exchange method, as well as to the incorporation of the Drude term, dielectric functions and various physical properties of LaB6 have been reproduced in excellent agreement with experimental values. Systematic examinations of dielectric functions and electronic structures of the trivalent metal hexaborides have clarified the origin of the visible transparency and the near-infrared plasmon absorption of R(III)B6 nanoparticles.

Electronic-structure-driven magnetic ordering in a Kondo semiconductor CeOs2Al10

We report the anisotropic changes in the electronic structure of a Kondo semiconductor CeOs(2)Al(10) across an anomalous antiferromagnetic ordering temperature (T(0)) of 29 K, using optical conductivity spectra. The spectra along the a and c axes indicate that an energy gap due to the hybridization between conduction bands and nearly local 4f states, namely the c-f hybridization gap, emerges from a higher temperature continuously across T(0). Along the b axis, on the other hand, another energy gap with a peak at 20 meV becomes visible at 39 K (>T(0)) and fully opens at T(0) because of a charge instability. This result implies that the appearance of the energy gap, as well as the change in the electronic structure along the b axis, induces the antiferromagnetic ordering below T(0).

Magnetoresistance in paramagnetic heavy fermion metals

A theoretical study of magnetic field (h) effects on single-particle spectra and the transport quantities of heavy fermion metals in the paramagnetic phase is carried out. We have employed a non-perturbative local moment approach (LMA) to the asymmetric periodic Anderson model within the dynamical mean field framework. The lattice coherence scale ω(L), which is proportional within the LMA to the spin-flip energy scale, and has been shown in earlier studies to be the energy scale at which crossover to single-impurity physics occurs, increases monotonically with increasing magnetic field. The many body Kondo resonance in the density of states at the Fermi level splits into two, with the splitting being proportional to the field itself. For h≥0, we demonstrate adiabatic continuity from the strongly interacting case to a corresponding non-interacting limit, thus establishing Fermi liquid behaviour for heavy fermion metals in the presence of a magnetic field. In the Kondo lattice regime, the theoretically computed magnetoresistance is found to be negative in the entire temperature range. We argue that such a result could be understood at [Formula: see text] by field-induced suppression of spin-flip scattering and at [Formula: see text] through lattice coherence. The coherence peak in the heavy fermion resistivity diminishes and moves to higher temperatures with increasing field. Direct comparison of the theoretical results to the field dependent resistivity measurements in CeB(6) yields good agreement.