RIKEN SPring-8 Center Materials Dynamics Group
Group Director: Alfred Baron (Ph.D.)
Research Summary

The focus of the laboratory is the dynamics of materials on meV energy scales (THz frequencies) and atomic length scales, as measured using inelastic x-ray scattering. The largest project of the lab is the design, construction and comissioning of a new and uniquely powerful beamline for inelastic x-ray scattering. It should provide unprecedented capability to measure both atomic dynamics and electronic excitations with high resolution. Other projects include investigation of phonons in multiferroics, correlated-electron materials, especially superconductors, liquid dynamics, elastic constants of materials under pressure, and development of instrumentation, especially x-ray optics.
Related Research Fields
- Physics
- Earth and planetary science
- Material engineering
Keywords
- Phonons and Lattice Dynamics of Solids
- Dynamics of Liquids
- Elasticity
- Electronic Structure via NRIXS
- X-Ray Instrumentation
Research Subjects
- Investigation of phonons and electronic scattering in mutiferroics and superconductors
- Investigations of liquid dynamics.
- Elastic constants of materials in extereme conditions.
- Development of new x-ray scattering techniques.
- Design, construction, & comisioning of a new beamline for inelastic x-ray scattering at SPring-8 with unprecendented intesity.
Selected Publications
- 1.A.Q.R. Baron.:
"The RIKEN Quantum NanoDynamics Beamline (BL43LXU): The Next Generation for Inelastic X-Ray Scattering"
SPring-8 Information Newsletter, 15 14 (2010) - 2.A.Q.R. Baron.:
"High-Resolution Inelastic X-Ray Scattering I&II"
Chapter in "Synchrotron Light Sources and Free-Electron Lasers", E. Jaeschke, S. Khan, J. R. Schneider and J. B. Hastings, eds., Springer, 2015 (arXiv:1504.01098) - 3.Y. Nakajima, S. Imada, K. Hirose, T. Komabayashi, H. Ozawa, S. Tateno, S. Tsutsui, Y. Kuwayama, and A.Q.R. Baron.:
"Carbon depleted outer core revealed by sound velocity measurements of liquid Fe-C alloy"
Nature Communications, 6, (2015) http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9942 - 4.T. Sakamaki, E. Ohtani, H. Fukui, S. Kamada, S. Takahashi, T. Sakairi, A. Takahata, T. Sakai, S. Tsutsui,6 D. Ishikawa, R. Shiraishi, Y. Seto, T. Tsuchiya, A. Q. R. Baron.:
"Constraints on Earth’s inner core composition inferred from measurements of the sound velocity of hcp-iron in extreme conditions"
Sci. Adv. 2016; 2 : e1500802 - 5.N. Murai, T. Fukuda, T. Kobayashi, M. Nakajima, H. Uchiyama, D. Ishikawa,S. Tsutsui, H. Nakamura, M. Machida, S. Miyasaka, S. Tajima, and A. Q. R. Baron.:
"Effect of magnetism on lattice dynamics of SrFe2As2 using high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering"
Physical Review B, Phys. Rev. B 93, 020301(R), http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.020301 - 6.M. Inui, Y. Kajihara, S. Munejiri, S. Hosokawa, A. Chiba, K. Ohara, S. Tsutsui and A.Q.R. Baron.:
"Anomalous dispersion of the acoustic mode in liquid Bi"
Physical Review B 95 (2015) 54206, http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.054206 - 7.D. Ishikawa, D. S. Ellis, H. Uchiyama and A.Q.R. Baron.:
"Inelastic x-ray scattering with 0.75 meV resolution at 25.7 keV using a temperature gradient analyzer."
Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 22 (2015) 3 - 8.Fukui H. Katsura T, Kuribayashi T, Matsuzak T, Yoneda A, Ito, Kudoh Y, Tsutsui S., BaronA.Q.R.:
"Precise determination of elastic constants by high-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering"
Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 15, 618-623 (2008) - 9.D. Ishikawa and A.Q.R. Baron.:
"Temperature gradient analyzers for compact high-resolution X-ray spectrometers."
Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 17 (2010) 12-24
Recent Research Results
Nov. 24, 2015
Liquid acoustics half way to the Earth's coreJun. 13, 2014
Journey to the Earth’s core–mantle boundary
Related Links
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Alfred Baron
- Group Director
Contact Information
1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho
Sayo-gun, Hyogo
679-5148 Japan
Email: baron [at] spring8.or.jp