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Daniel Braithwaite

Équipe Instrumentation, Matériaux Avancés et Physique des Electrons Corrélés
Phone: +33 4 38 78 44 11
Fax: +33 4 38 78 50 96
daniel.braithwaite@cea.fr

Research Field: Magnetism and Superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems and extreme conditions (High pressure, low temperature, magnetic field).

I am interested in the physics of strongly correlated electron systems, mainly rare earth or uranium based intermetallic compounds. The effects we are looking for now, such as unconventional superconductivity and its interaction with magnetism, are often very subtle effects, and our competitivity in the field stems in large part from considerable instrumental developments as these studies require at least three conditions to succeed:

1/ Very pure samples, if possible single crystals. Most of the samples we study are made in the crystal growth facility in the lab.

2/ Extreme conditions of high pressure, low temperature, and sometimes magnetic field, to tune the microscopic parameters of the sample in order to explore the phase diagram and attain the new quantum phases we search for. To reach low temperatures we regularly use commercial or custom built 3He/4He dilution fridges allowing temperatures of less than 0.03K to be reached. Commercial superconducting magnets enable us to obtain fields up to 18T. However our main innovations are in the field of high pressure. We use mainly diamond anvil cells reaching pressures up to 20 GPa, but more importantly in extremely hydrostatic conditions using helium or argon as a pressure medium. We have developped techniques to introduce leads into the pressure chamber, and to change the pressure at low temperature. We also use larger volume cells, such as the Bridgman cell, which we recently modified to work woth a liquid medium, or piston cylinder cells.

3/ Sensitive measuring techniques, if possible of various kinds, in order to gain as much information as possible. The measurements that are performed at high pressure include sensitive resistivity measurements, using low temperature transformers and lock-in detection techniques, but also specific heat and magnetic susceptibilty (using an a.c. techniques). We also use more and more the powerful tool that is synchrotron radiation for high pressure studies and regularly perform experiments at the ESRF such as resonnant absorption spectroscopy to determine valence change as a function of pressure, and even resonnant magnetic x-ray scattering at high pressure.


If you are interested in doing a PhD in this field please contact me, we always have openings for good students.

CV

Ingénieur INSA Toulouse, DEA Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse (Physique du Solide) 1987

PhD Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble (High pressure studies of high-TC superconductors, in the CNRS Grenoble high magnetic field laboratory) 1990

Habilitation à diriger le recherches, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble (2002)

Post-doc at the Centre de Recherches sur les Très Basses Températures (CNRS Grenoble). Critical currents in textured high Tc superconductors (1990-1992)

Post-doc at the Institute for Transuraniun compounds, Karlsruhe. Superconductivity of americium metal at high pressure (1993-1994)

Since 1994 Researcher in the Service de Physique Statistique, Magnétisme et Supraconductivité CEA/Grenoble.

Since 2008 Head of the group IMAPEC (Instrumentation, advanced materials, physics of correlated electrons)


Scientific contributions
ResearchGate

Some recent publications
Knafo W, Settai R, Braithwaite D, Kurahashi S, Aoki D and Flouquet J
Three-dimensional critical phase diagram of the Ising antiferromagnet CeRh2Si2 under intense magnetic field and pressure.

Physical Review B, 2017, 95: 014411

Braithwaite D, Knafo W, Settai R, Aoki D, Kurahashi S and Flouquet J
Pressure cell for transport measurements under high pressure and low temperature in pulsed magnetic fields.
Review of Scientific Instruments, 2016, 87: 023907

Muthu SE, Braithwaite D, Salce B, Nakamura A, Hedo M, Nakama T and Onuki Y
Calorimetry study of the phase diagrams of EuNi2Ge2 and Eu2Ni3Ge5 under pressure.

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 2016, 85: 094603

Palacio Morales A, Pourret A, Seyfarth G, Suzuki MT, Braithwaite D, Knebel G, Aoki D and Flouquet J
Fermi surface instabilities in CeRh2Si2 at high magnetic field and pressure.

Physical Review B, 2015, 91: 245129

Shimizu Y, Braithwaite D, Salce B, Combier T, Aoki D, Hering EN, Ramos SM and Flouquet J
Unusual strong spin-fluctuation effects around the critical pressure of the itinerant Ising-type ferromagnet URhAl.

Physical Review B, 2015, 91: 125115

Gabani S, Takacova I, Pristas G, Gazo E, Flachbart K, Mori T, Braithwaite D, Misek M, Kamenev KV, Hanfland M, et al.
High-pressure effect on the superconductivity of YB6.

Physical Review, 2014, B 90

Coldea AI, Braithwaite D and Carrington A
Iron-based superconductors in high magnetic fields.

Comptes Rendus Physique, 2013, 14: 94-105

Kambe S, Aoki D, Salce B, Bourdarot F, Braithwaite D, Flouquet J and Brison J-P
Thermal expansion under uniaxial pressure in URu2Si2
.
Physical Review B, 2013, 87: 115123

Fernandez-Panella A, Baledent V, Braithwaite D, Paolasini L, Verbeni R, Lapertot G, Rueff JP
Valence instability of YbCu2Si2 through its magnetic quantum critical point
.
Physical Review B, 2012, 86: 125104

Fernandez-Panella A, Braithwaite D, Salce B, Lapertot G, Flouquet J
Ferromagnetism in YbCu2Si2 at high pressure.
Physical Review B, 2011, 84 : 134416

Klein T, Braithwaite D, Demuer A, Knafo W, Lapertot G, Marcenat C, Rodiere P, Sheikin I, Strobel P, Sulpice A, Toulemonde P
Thermodynamic phase diagram of Fe(Se0.5Te0.5) single crystals in fields up to 28 tesla.

Physical Review B, 2010, 8: 184506

Braithwaite D, Lapertot G, Knafo W, Sheikin I
Evidence for anisotropic vortex dynamics and Pauli limitation in the upper critical field of FeSe1-xTex

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 2010, 79: 053703

Colombier E, Braithwaite D
Simple adaptation of the Bridgman high pressure technique for use with liquid media.

Review of Scientific Instruments, 2007, 78: 093903

Braithwaite D, Lapertot G, Salce B, Cumberlidge AM, Alireza PL
Antiferromagnetic order in pure CeFe2 under pressure.

Physical Review B, 2007, 76: 224427

Braithwaite D, Paolasini L, Deen PP, Kernavanois N, Yakhou F, Canfield P, Lapertot G
High-pressure resonant magnetic X-ray diffraction and transport experiments in Ce(Fe1-xCox)2.
Physica B, 2006, 378–380: 782-783

Measson MA, Braithwaite D, Salce B, Flouquet J, Lapertot G, Pecaut J, Seyfarth G, Brison JP, Sugawara H, Sato H
Nature of the double superconducting transition in PrOs4Sb12?
Physica B, 2006, 378-380: 56-7

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