Recently, Nojiri Group (IMR, Tohoku Univ.), Japan Atomic Energy Agency Group and other collaborators have developed techniques for high magnetic field synchrotron X-ray experiments beyond 50 T using very small pulsed-magnets. We have succeeded in observing valence states directly in a valence transition compound, YbInCu4 at very high magnetic fields for the first time. It should be noted that we could determine the valence without thermal excitation effects by performing the experiments at very low temperatures. This high-field X-ray absorption spectroscopy can be applied to other intriguing substances such as spintronics materials. Further development to more advanced spectroscopy, e.g., X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) is also expected. This work was published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 76 (2007) 034702 and also reported in a newspaper (Kagaku Shinbun, 2007.3.30).
Miniature pulsed-magnet for the high magnetic field X-ray spectroscopy.
A 10-yen Japanese coin is on the right as a scale.