Strong Correlation Physics Research Group

Principal Investigator

PI Name Yoshinori Tokura
Degree D.Eng.
Title Group Director
Brief Resume
1981 D. Eng., University of Tokyo
1986 Associate Professor, University of Tokyo
1994 Professor, Department of Physics, University of Tokyo
1995 Professor, Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo
2001 Director, Correlated Electron Research Center, AIST
2007 Group Director, Cross-Correlated Materials Research Group, RIKEN
2008 AIST Fellow, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (-present)
2010 Director, Emergent Materials Department, RIKEN
2010 Group Director, Correlated Electron Research Group, RIKEN
2013 Director, RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS)
2013 Group Director, Strong Correlation Physics Research Group, Strong Correlation Physics Division, RIKEN CEMS (-present)
2014 Team Leader, Strong Correlation Quantum Transport Research Team, Strong Correlation Physics Division, RIKEN CEMS (-present)
2017 Distinguished University Professor, University of Tokyo (-present)
2019 Special University Professor, University of Tokyo
2024 Special Advisor to the President, RIKEN (-present)

Outline

Our group investigates a variety of emergent phenomena in strongly correlated electron systems, which cannot be understood within the framework of conventional semiconductor/metal physics, to construct a new scheme of science and technology. In particular, we focus on transport, dielectric and optical properties in non-trivial spin/orbital structures, aiming at clarifying the correlation between the response and the spin/orbital state. In addition, we investigate electron systems with strong relativistic spin-orbit interaction, unraveling its impact on transport phenomena and other electronic properties. Target materials include high-temperature superconductors, colossal magnetoresistance systems, multiferroics, topological insulators, and skyrmion materials.

Research Fields

Physics, Engineering, Materials Science

Keywords

Strongly correlated electron system
Topological insulators
Spin-orbit interaction
Berry phase physics
Multiferroics
Skyrmion

Results

Topological spin textures and emergent electromagnetic functions

Nanometric spin texture called “skyrmion”. The skyrmion is the idea coined by Tony Skyrme, a nuclear physicist, to describe a state of nucleon as the topological soliton, It has recently been demonstrated that such a kind of topological particle should exist widely in ubiquitous magnetic solids. The arrows in the figure represent the directions of the spin (electron’s magnetic moment); the spins direct up at the peripheral, swirl in going to the inside, and direct down at the core. This topology cannot be reached via continuous deformation from the conventional spin orders, meaning that the skyrmion can be viewed by a topologically protected particle.  The skyrmion can carry a fictitious (emergent) magnetic field working on moving conduction electrons (represented by yellow balls), and hence causes the topological Hall effect (transverse drift of the current). Furthermore, the electric current itself can drive the skyrmion. The critical current density for the drive of skyrmions is around 100 A/cm2,  by five orders of magnitude smaller than the conventional value for the drive of magnetic domain walls. These features may favor the application of skyrmions to innovative spintronics, i.e. toward “skyrmionics”.

Skyrmion and conduction electron motion

Members

Yoshinori Tokura

Group Director tokura[at]riken.jp

Masamichi Nakajima

Senior Research Scientist

Hinako Murayama

Special Postdoctoral Researcher

Chieko Terakura

Senior Technical Scientist terakura[at]riken.jp

Yoshio Kaneko

Research Consultant

Masakazu Ichikawa

Research Consultant

Yasushi Ogimoto

Senior Visiting Scientist

Publications

  1. K. Ueda, T. Yu, M. Hirayama, R. Kurokawa, T. Nakajima, H. Saito, M. Kriener, M. Hoshino, D. Hashizume, T.-h. Arima, R. Arita, and Y. Tokura

    Colossal negative magnetoresistance in field-induced Weyl semimetal of magnetic half-Heusler compound

    Nat. Commun. 14, 6339 (2023)
  2. T. Hori, N. Kanazawa, M. Hirayama, K. Fujiwara, A. Tsukazaki, M. Ichikawa, M. Kawasaki, and Y. Tokura

    A Noble-Metal-Free Spintronic System with Proximity-Enhanced Ferromagnetic Topological Surface State of FeSi above Room Temperature

    Adv. Mater. 35, 2206801 (2022)
  3. A. Kitaori, N. Kanazawa, T. Yokouchi, F. Kagawa, N. Nagaosa, and Y. Tokura

    Emergent electromagnetic induction beyond room temperature

    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 118, e2105422118 (2021)
  4. T. Yokouchi, F. Kagawa, M. Hirschberger, Y. Otani, N. Nagaosa, and Y. Tokura

    Emergent electromagnetic induction in a helical-spin magnet

    Nature 586, 232 (2020)
  5. T. Kurumaji, T. Nakajima, M. Hirschberger, A. Kikkawa, Y. Yamasaki, H. Sagayama, H. Nakao, Y. Taguchi, T.-h. Arima, and Y. Tokura

    Skyrmion lattice with a giant topological Hall effect in a frustrated triangular-lattice magnet

    Science 365, 914 (2019)

Articles