Author
Listed:
- S. Tonegawa
(Kyoto University)
- S. Kasahara
(Kyoto University)
- T. Fukuda
(Quantum Beam Science Directorate
Materials Dynamics Laboratory)
- K. Sugimoto
(Research and Utilization Division
Structural Materials Science Laboratory)
- N. Yasuda
(Research and Utilization Division)
- Y. Tsuruhara
(Kyoto University)
- D. Watanabe
(Kyoto University)
- Y. Mizukami
(Kyoto University
University of Tokyo)
- Y. Haga
(Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- T. D. Matsuda
(Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Tokyo Metropolitan University)
- E. Yamamoto
(Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
- Y. Onuki
(Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus)
- H. Ikeda
(Kyoto University
Ritsumeikan University)
- Y. Matsuda
(Kyoto University)
- T. Shibauchi
(Kyoto University
University of Tokyo)
Abstract
Since the 1985 discovery of the phase transition at THO=17.5 K in the heavy-fermion metal URu2Si2, neither symmetry change in the crystal structure nor large magnetic moment that can account for the entropy change has been observed, which makes this hidden order enigmatic. Recent high-field experiments have suggested electronic nematicity that breaks fourfold rotational symmetry, but direct evidence has been lacking for its ground state in the absence of magnetic field. Here we report on the observation of lattice symmetry breaking from the fourfold tetragonal to twofold orthorhombic structure by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements at zero field, which pins down the space symmetry of the order. Small orthorhombic symmetry-breaking distortion sets in at THO with a jump, uncovering the weakly first-order nature of the hidden-order transition. This distortion is observed only in ultrapure samples, implying a highly unusual coupling nature between the electronic nematicity and underlying lattice.
Suggested Citation
S. Tonegawa & S. Kasahara & T. Fukuda & K. Sugimoto & N. Yasuda & Y. Tsuruhara & D. Watanabe & Y. Mizukami & Y. Haga & T. D. Matsuda & E. Yamamoto & Y. Onuki & H. Ikeda & Y. Matsuda & T. Shibauchi, 2014.
"Direct observation of lattice symmetry breaking at the hidden-order transition in URu2Si2,"
Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, September.
Handle:
RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms5188
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5188
Download full text from publisher
Corrections
All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms5188. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through
the various RePEc services.