Nonmagnetic Ground States and a Possible Quadrupolar Phase in 4d and 5d Lacunar Spinel Selenides GaM_{4}Se_{8} (M=Nb, Ta).

Structural and magnetic properties of cubic spinel selenides GaM_{4}Se_{8} (M=Nb, Ta), which are candidates for the molecular J_{eff}=3/2 Mott insulators, are investigated. The effective magnetic moments are reduced compared to the spin only value, indicating the presence of sizable spin-orbit coupling. GaNb_{4}Se_{8} and GaTa_{4}Se_{8} exhibit phase transitions into the nonmagnetic ground states with orthorhombic and tetragonal structures, respectively, which are robust against magnetic field up to at least 60 T. A cubic-cubic phase transition is observed in GaNb_{4}Se_{8} preceding the magnetic transition, suggesting the existence of a quadrupolar-ordered phase theoretically predicted in the J_{eff}=3/2 Mott insulator.

Ambient-pressure molecular superconductor with a superlattice containing layers of tris(oxalato)rhodate enantiomers and 18-crown-6.

We report a novel multilayered organic-inorganic hybrid material, ß″-(BEDT-TTF)2[(H2O)(NH4)2Rh(C2O4)3]·18-crown-6. This is the first molecular superconductor to have a superlattice with layers of both BEDT-TTF and 18-crown-6 and also the first with the anion tris(oxalato)rhodate. This is the 2D superconductor with the widest gap between conducting layers, where only a single donor packing motif is observed (ß″). The strong 2D nature of this system strongly suggests that the superconducting transition is a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. A superconducting Tc of 2.7 K at ambient pressure was found by transport measurements and 2.5 K by magnetic susceptibility measurements.

Commensurability of the spin-density-wave state of (TMTSF)2PF6 observed by 13C-NMR.

A spin-density-wave (SDW) for (TMTSF)(2)PF(6) has been reported to appear below T(SDW) (=/~12 K), with a subphase transition at T* (=/~4 K). To determine the structure of the subphase, we synthesized (TMTSF)(2)PF(6), in which one side of the central carbon bond in each TMTSF molecule was replaced by (13)C, and utilized this compound in (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. Below T(SDW), the spectrum became broad and T(1)(-1) decreased, in agreement with previous results. Below T*, fine structures emerged in the center of the spectrum and T(1)(-1) decreased exponentially. These phenomena were attributed to the emergence of commensurability at T*.

Liquid helium-cooled high-purity copper coil for generation of long pulsed magnetic fields.

To generate long-duration pulsed magnetic fields with low energy consumption, we present a practical setup that implements an electromagnet made of high-purity copper (99.9999%). The resistance of the high-purity copper coil decreases from 171 mΩ (300 K) to 19.3 mΩ (77.3 K) and to below ∼0.15 mΩ (4.2 K), indicating a high residual resistance ratio of 1140 and a substantial reduction in Joule loss at low temperature. Using a 157.5 F electric-double-layer-capacitor bank with a charged voltage of 100 V, a pulsed magnetic field of 19.8 T with a total field duration of more than 1 s is generated. The field strength of the liquid helium-cooled high-purity copper coil is approximately double that of a liquid nitrogen-cooled one. The low resistance of the coil and the resultant low Joule heating effect explain the improvements in accessible field strength. The low electric energy used for field generation warrants further investigation on low-impedance pulsed magnets consisting of high-purity metals.

Compact megajoule-class pulsed power supply for generating long-pulsed magnetic fields.

A pulsed power supply with a compact and low-cost electric-double-layer-capacitor (EDLC) is developed for generating pulsed magnetic fields with a long pulse duration of a few seconds. The system is demonstrated in three experimental setups using a 10.7 F- or 50 F-EDLC capacitor bank. By using the 10.7 F-EDLC capacitor bank with a 27 mm wide-bore magnet, the pulsed magnetic field with a peak field strength of 24.3 T and a pulse duration of ∼1 s is generated. The field profiles are reproduced in the theoretical calculations taking Joule heating into account. The calculations are also used to discuss possible variations of the field profile for future investigations.

Molecular conductors from bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene with tris(oxalato)rhodate.

This article reports a family of new radical-cation salts of bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) with tris(oxalato)rhodate: three salts with the formula ß''-(BEDT-TTF)4[(cation)Rh(C2O4)3]·solvent (solvent = fluorobenzene, chlorobenzene, or bromobenzene) and one with the formula pseudo-κ-(BEDT-TTF)4[(NH4)Rh(C2O4)3]·benzonitrile. We report here the syntheses, crystal structures, electrical properties and Raman spectroscopy of these new molecular conductors. The bromobenzene salt shows a decrease in resistivity below 2.5 K indicative of a superconducting transition and a Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation with a frequency of 232 T and effective mass m* of 1.27me.