Abstract: We present a theoretical study of the electronic structure of a heavily Si delta-doped layer in a GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs quantum barrier. In this class of structures the effect of DX centers on the electronic properties can be tuned by changing the AlxGa1-xAs barrier width and/or the Al concentration, which leads to a lowering of the DX level with respect to the Fermi energy without disturbing the wave functions much. A self-consistent approach is developed in which the effective confinement potential and the Fermi energy of the system, the energies, the wave functions, and the electron densities of the discrete subbands have been obtained as a function of both the material parameters of the samples and the experimental conditions. The effect of DX centers on such structures at nonzero temperature and under an external pressure is investigated for three different models: (1) the DX(nc)(0) model with no correlation effects, (2) the d(+)/DX(0) model, and (3) the d(+)/DX(-) model with inclusion of correlation effects. In the actual calculation, influences of the background accepters, the discontinuity of the effective mass of the electrons at the interfaces of the different materials, band nonparabolicity, and the exchange-correlation energy of the electrons have been taken into account. We have found that (1) introducing a quantum barrier into delta-doped GaAs makes it possible to control the energy gaps between different electronic; subbands; (2) the electron wave functions are mon spread out when the repellent effect of the barriers is increased as compared to those in delta-doped GaAs; (3) increasing the quantum-barrier height and/or the application of hydrostatic pressure are helpful to experimentally observe the effect of the DX centers through a decrease of the total free-electron density; and (4) the correlation effects of the charged impurities are important for the systems under study.

Abstract: The multiband effective-mass model of cylindrical self-assembled quantum dots in a magnetic field normal to the layer of the quantum dots is presented. The strain distribution is computed by the valence force field method. The strain-dependent multiband Hamiltonian is modified into an axially symmetric form, which commutes with the total angular momentum F-2 = fh. where f denotes the total magnetic quantum number. The heavy hole and the light hole parts in the mixed hole state are resolved. It is found that the heavy hole component dominates in the ground states for both f = 1/2 and 3/2. The electronic structure exhibits numerous anticrossings between the hole levels. The Zeeman splitting between the +\f\ and -\f\ states is also computed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: We propose a new system where electron and hole states are electrostatically confined into a quantum ring in bilayer graphene. These structures can be created by tuning the gap of the graphene bilayer using nanostructured gates or by position-dependent doping. The energy levels have a magnetic field (B0) dependence that is strikingly distinct from that of usual semiconductor quantum rings. In particular, the eigenvalues are not invariant under a B0 ¨ −B0 transformation and, for a fixed total angular momentum index m, their field dependence is not parabolic, but displays two minima separated by a saddle point. The spectra also display several anticrossings, which arise due to the overlap of gate-confined and magnetically confined states.

Abstract: Here we summarize results from our study of the critical depinning current J(c) versus the applied magnetic flux Phi, for: (i) quasiperiodic (QP) one-dimensional (1D) chains and (ii) 2D arrays of pinning centers placed on the nodes of a five-fold Penrose lattice. In 1D QP chains, the peaks in J(c)(Phi) are determined by a sequence of harmonics of the long and short segments of the chain. The critical current J(c)(Phi) has a remarkable self-similarity. In 2D QP pinning arrays, we predict analytically and numerically the main features of J(c)(Phi), and demonstrate that the Penrose lattice of pinning sites provides an enormous enhancement of J(c)(Phi), even compared to triangular and random pinning site arrays. This huge increase in J(c)(Phi) could be useful for applications. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: We investigate low-temperature magnetotransport of high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases subjected to one-dimensional periodic magnetic and electric modulations. Our previous quantum perturbation theory is extended to lower temperatures and the energy broadening due to impurity scattering is incorporated. Numerical calculations are made for situations where several Landau bands overlap. We find that the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations are dominated by collisional resistance. The amplitudes of the SdH oscillations are strongly modulated and the positions of the SdH minima switch between even and odd Landau-level filling factors, in the resistance both parallel and perpendicular to the one-dimensional modulation. This is a consequence of the internal structure (i.e., smeared out van Hove singularities) of overlapping Landau bands. Our theoretical results are in good agreement with recent experiments.

Abstract: The influence of the well width fluctuations on the dependence of the binding energy of excitonic complexes in quantum wells is studied by using the path-integral Monte-Carlo technique. The results are compared with available experimental data and a good agreement is found.

Abstract: Electron, hole, and exciton states in the stacks composed of three strained (InGa)As quantum rings were computed. We found considerable influence of strain on both the single particle and exciton spectra, while the oscillator strength for exciton recombination is reduced by the magnetic field.