Since the 1985 discovery of the phase transition at $T_{rm HO}=17.5$ K in the heavy-fermion metal URu$_2$Si$_2$, neither symmetry change in the crystal structure nor magnetic ordering have been observed, which makes this hidden order enigmatic. Some
high-field experiments have suggested electronic nematicity which breaks fourfold rotational symmetry, but direct evidence has been lacking for its ground state at zero 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 $T_{rm HO}$ with a jump, uncovering the weakly first-order nature of the hidden-order transition. This distortion is observed only in ultrapure sample, implying a highly unusual coupling nature between the electronic nematicity and underlying lattice.
We have carried out a spectral analysis of the Suzaku X-ray data in the 0.4-12 keV range toward the shell-type very-high-energy {gamma}-ray supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946. The aims of this analysis are to estimate detailed X-rays spectral properti
es at a high angular resolution up to 2 arcmin, and to compare them with the interstellar gas. The X-ray spectrum is non-thermal and used to calculate absorbing column density, photon index, and absorption-corrected X-ray flux. The photon index varies significantly from 2.1 to 2.9. It is shown that the X-ray intensity is well correlated with the photon index, especially in the west region, with a correlation coefficient of 0.81. The X-ray intensity tends to increase with the averaged interstellar gas density while the dispersion is relatively large. The hardest spectra having the photon index less than 2.4 are found outside of the central 10 arcmin of the SNR, from the north to the southeast (~430 arcmin^2) and from the southwest to the northwest (~150 arcmin^2). The former region shows low interstellar gas density, while the latter high interstellar gas density. We present discussion for possible scenarios which explain the distribution of the photon index and its relationship with the interstellar gas.
We have made new CO observations of two molecular clouds, which we call jet and arc clouds, toward the stellar cluster Westerlund 2 and the TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1023-575. The jet cloud shows a linear structure from the position of Westerlund 2
on the east. In addition, we have found a new counter jet cloud on the west. The arc cloud shows a crescent shape in the west of HESS J1023-575. A sign of star formation is found at the edge of the jet cloud and gives a constraint on the age of the jet cloud to be ~Myrs. An analysis with the multi CO transitions gives temperature as high as 20 K in a few places of the jet cloud, suggesting that some additional heating may be operating locally. The new TeV gamma-ray images by H.E.S.S. correspond to the jet and arc clouds spatially better than the giant molecular clouds associated with Westerlund 2. We suggest that the jet and arc clouds are not physically linked with Westerlund 2 but are located at a greater distance around 7.5 kpc. A microquasar with long-term activity may be able to offer a possible engine to form the jet and arc clouds and to produce the TeV gamma-rays, although none of the known microquasars have a Myr age or steady TeV gamma-rays. Alternatively, an anisotropic supernova explosion which occurred ~Myr ago may be able to form the jet and arc clouds, whereas the TeV gamma-ray emission requires a microquasar formed after the explosion.
Phonons in single crystals of PrFeAsO_{1-y} are investigated using high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering and ab initio pseudopotential calculations. Extensive measurements of several samples at temperatures spanning the magnetic ordering tempera
ture and the superconducting transition temperature show that there are some changes in phonon spectra with temperature and/or doping. We compare our measurements with several ab initio pseudopotential models (nonmagnetic tetragonal, oxygen-deficient O_{7/8} supercell, magnetic orthorhombic, and magnetic tetragonal) and find that the experimentally observed changes are much smaller than the differences between the experimental data and the calculations. Agreement is improved if magnetism is included in the calculations via the local spin density approximation, as the Fe atomic motions parallel to the ferromagnetic ordering direction are softened. However, the antiferromagnetically polarized modes remain hard, and in disagreement with the experimental data. In fact, given the increasing evidence for anisotropy in the iron pnictide materials, the phonon response is surprisingly isotropic. We consider several modifications of the ab initio calculations to improve the agreement with the experimental data. Improved agreement is found by setting the matrix to zero (clipping the bond) between nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetically aligned Fe atoms in the magnetic calculation, or by softening only the in-plane nearest-neighbor Fe-As force constant in the nonmagnetic calculation. We discuss these results in the context of other measurements, especially of phonons, for several FeAs systems. Fluctuating magnetism may be a partial explanation for the failure of the calculations, but seems incomplete in the face of the similarity of the measured phonon response in all the systems investigated here including those known to have static magnetism.
The lattice dynamics of LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_{x} (x=0, 0.1) and PrFeAsO_{1-y} (y~0.1) are investigated using inelastic x-ray scattering and ab-initio calculation. Measurements of powder samples provide an approximation to the phonon DOS, while dispersion i
s measured from a single crystal of PrFeAsO_{1-y}. A model that agrees reasonably well with all of the data at room temperature is built from results of ab-initio calculations by softening the strength of the Fe-As bond by 30%.
Inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) was used to study the Cu-O bond-stretching vibrations in the static stripe phase compound La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4. It was found that the intrinsic width in Q-space of the previously reported huge anomalous phonon soften
ing and broadening is approximately 0.08r.l.u HWHM. A detailed comparison was also made to inelastic neutron scattering (INS) studies, which indicate a two-peak lineshape (with superimposed broad and narrow peaks) in the vicinity of the anomaly. The high resolution IXS data show that the narrow peak is mostly an artifact of the poor transverse Q-resolution of INS. Otherwise the agreement between the INS and IXS was excellent.
