Abstract: A Raman scattering study covering the entire substitution range of the FeSe1-xSx solid solution is presented. Data were taken as a function of sulfur concentration x for 0 <= x <= 1, of temperature and of scattering symmetry. All types of excitations including phonons, spins, and charges are analyzed in detail. It is observed that the energy and width of the iron-related B-1g phonon mode vary continuously across the entire range of sulfur substitution. The A(1g) chalcogenide mode disappears above x = 0.23 and reappears at a much higher energy for x = 0.69. In a similar way the spectral features appearing at finite doping in A(1g) symmetry vary discontinuously. The magnetic excitation centered at approximately 500 cm(-1) disappears above x = 0.23 where the A(1g) lattice excitations exhibit a discontinuous change in energy. The low-energy mode associated with fluctuations displays maximal intensity at the nematostructural transition and thus tracks the phase boundary.

Abstract: A pseudomagnetic field kink can be realized along a graphene nanoribbon using strain engineering. Electron transport along this kink is governed by snake states that are characterized by a single propagation direction. Those pseudomagnetic fields point towards opposite directions in the K and K' valleys, leading to valley polarized snake states. In a graphene nanoribbon with armchair edges this effect results in a valley filter that is based only on strain engineering. We discuss how to maximize this valley filtering by adjusting the parameters that define the stress distribution along the graphene ribbon.

Abstract: A perpendicular electric field applied to multilayers of graphene modifies the electronic structure near the K point and may induce an energy gap in the electronic spectrum. This gap is tunable by the gate voltage and its size depends on the number of layers. We use a tight-binding approach to calculate the band structure and include a self-consistent calculation in order to obtain the density of charge carriers. Results are presented for systems consisting of three and four layers of graphene. The effect of the circular asymmetry of the band structure on the gap is critically examined.

Abstract: A parabolic quantum dot (QD) as realized by biasing nanostructured gates on bilayer graphene is investigated in the presence of electron-electron interaction. The energy spectrum and the phase diagram reveal unexpected transitions as a function of a magnetic field. For example, in contrast to semiconductor QDs, we find a valley transition rather than only the usual singlet-triplet transition in the ground state of the interacting system. The origin of these features can be traced to the valley degree of freedom in bilayer graphene. These transitions have important consequences for cyclotron resonance experiments.

Abstract: A numerical approach to GinzburgLandau (GL) theory is demonstrated and we review its applications to several examples of current interest in the research on superconductivity. This analysis also shows the applicability of the two-dimensional approach to thin superconductors and the re-defined effective GL parameter κ. For two-gap superconductors, the conveniently written GL equations directly show that the magnetic behavior of the sample depends not just on the GL parameter of two bands, but also on the ratio of respective coherence lengths.

Abstract: A novel spintronic nanodevice is proposed that is able to manipulate the single heavy-hole spin state in a coherent manner. It can act as a single quantum logic gate. The heavy-hole spin transformations are realized by transporting the hole around closed loops defined by metal gates deposited on top of the nanodevice. The device exploits Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction, which translates the spatial motion of the hole into a rotation of the spin. The proposed quantum gate operates on subnanosecond time scales and requires only the application of a weak static voltage which allows for addressing heavy-hole spin qubits individually. Our results are supported by quantum mechanical time-dependent calculations within the four-band Luttinger-Kohn model.

Abstract: A multiscale modeling and simulation approach, including first-principles calculations, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, and a tight binding approach, is employed to study band flattening of the electronic band structure of oxidized monolayer graphene. The width offlat bands can be tuned by strain, the external electric field, and the density of functional groups and their distribution. A transition to a conducting state is found for monolayer graphene with impurities when it is subjected to an electric field of similar to 1.0 V/angstrom. Several parallel impurity-induced flat bands appear in the low-energy spectrum of monolayer graphene when the number of epoxy groups is changed. The width of the flat band decreases with an increase in tensile strain but is independent of the electric field strength. Here an alternative and easy route for obtaining band flattening in thermodynamically stable functionalized monolayer graphene is introduced. Our work discloses a new avenue for research on band flattening in monolayer graphene.

Abstract: A model of the intermolecular potential in solid C-60, which is based on Born-Mayer repulsions, van der Waals attractions, and electrostatic multipoles, is presented. The potential is expanded in terms of multipolar rotator functions. The orientation-orientation interaction and the crystal field are calculated. The orientational phase transition to the Pa3 phase is studied with the methods of statistical mechanics. The discontinuity of the order parameter at the transition and the temperature evolution of the order parameter are calculated. The lattice contraction at the phase transition is evaluated. The influence of the lattice contraction on the crystal field and on the orientational order is studied.

Abstract: A microscopic theory for the coupling of molecular orientations with acoustic lattice displacements is proposed. The relevant interaction is quadratic in the orientational-order-parameter variables and linear in longitudinal strains. The coupling is evaluated for a complex molecular structure. The intermolecular potential is obtained from interaction centers placed at nuclei and at the centers of interatomic bonds. The free energy is derived and the experimental consequences of the theory are studied. The Clausius-Clapeyron equation for orientational melting is obtained. The theory explains the decrease of the lattice constant at the first-order phase transition and the increase of the transition temperature with applied pressure.

Abstract: A magnetic moment inside an extreme type II superconductor can have three, but not one or two, confined vortex loops near to the core. For a sub-micron superconducting particle the confined vortex loops eventually break up and reach the surface turning into external vortex pairs.

Abstract: A high-capacity hydrogen storage mediumAl-adsorbed grapheneis proposed based on density-functional theory calculations. We find that a graphene layer with Al adsorbed on both sides can store hydrogen up to 13.79 wt % with average adsorption energy −0.193 eV/H2. Its hydrogen storage capacity is in excess of 6 wt %, surpassing U. S. Department of Energy (DOEs) target. Based on the binding-energy criterion and molecular-dynamics calculations, we find that hydrogen storage can be recycled at near ambient conditions. This high-capacity hydrogen storage is due to the adsorbed Al atoms that act as bridges to link the electron clouds of the H2 molecules and the graphene layer. As a consequence, a two-layer arrangement of H2 molecules is formed on each side of the Al-adsorbed graphene layer. The H2 concentration in the hydrogen storage medium can be measured by the change in the conductivity of the graphene layer.

Abstract: A general framework to calculate the Zener current in an indirect semiconductor with an externally applied potential is provided. Assuming a parabolic valence and conduction band dispersion, the semiconductor is in equilibrium in the presence of the external field as long as the electron-phonon interaction is absent. The linear response to the electron-phonon interaction results in a non-equilibrium system. The Zener tunneling current is calculated from the number of electrons making the transition from valence to conduction band per unit time. A convenient expression based on the single particle spectral functions is provided, enabling the evaluation of the Zener tunneling current under any three-dimensional potential profile. For a one-dimensional potential profile an analytical expression is obtained for the current in a bulk semiconductor, a semiconductor under uniform field, and a semiconductor under a non-uniform field using the WKB (Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin) approximation. The obtained results agree with the Kane result in the low field limit. A numerical example for abrupt p-n diodes with different doping concentrations is given, from which it can be seen that the uniform field model is a better approximation than the WKB model, but a direct numerical treatment is required for low bias conditions.

Abstract: A four-band exciton Hamiltonian is constructed starting from the single-particle Dirac Hamiltonian for charge carriers in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The angular part of the exciton wave function can be separated from the radial part, in the case of zero center of mass momentum excitons, by exploiting the eigenstates of the total exciton angular momentum operator with which the Hamiltonian commutes. We explain why this approach fails for excitons with finite center of mass momentum or in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field and present an approximation to resolve this issue. We calculate the (binding) energy and average interparticle distance of different excited exciton states in different TMDs and compare these with results available in the literature. Remarkably, we find that the intervalley exciton ground state in the -/+ K valley has angular momentum j = +/- 1, which is due to the pseudospin of the separate particles. The exciton mass and the exciton Landau levels are calculated and we find that the degeneracy of exciton states with opposite relative angular momentum is altered by a magnetic field.

Abstract: A first-principles study of the structural and electronic properties of carbon impurities in CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 is presented. Carbon is present in organic molecules in the precursor solutions used in non-vacuum growth methods for CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 based photovoltaic cells. These growth methods make more efficient use of material, time, and energy than traditional vacuum methods. The formation energies of several carbon impurities are calculated using the hybrid HSE06 functional. C Cu acts as a shallow donor, CIn and interstitial C yield deep donor levels in CuInSe2, while in CuGaSe2 CGa and interstitial C act as deep amphoteric defects. So, these defects reduce the majority carrier (hole) concentration in p-type CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 by compensating the acceptor levels. The deep defects are likely to act as recombination centers for the photogenerated charge carriers and are thus detrimental for the performance of the photovoltaic cells. On the other hand, the formation energies of the carbon impurities are high, even under C-rich growth conditions. Thus, few C impurities will form in CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 in thermodynamic equilibrium. However, the deposition of the precursor solution in non-vacuum growth methods presents conditions far from thermodynamic equilibrium. In this case, our calculations show that C impurities formed in non-equilibrium tend to segregate from CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 by approaching thermodynamic equilibrium, e.g., via thorough annealing.

Abstract: A figure of merit I60 is proposed for sub-60 mV/decade devices as the highest current where the input characteristics exhibit a transition from sub- to super-60 mV/decade behavior. For sub-60 mV/decade devices to be competitive with metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect devices, I60 has to be in the 1-10 μA/μm range. The best experimental tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) in the literature only have an I60 of 6×10-3 μA/μm but using theoretical simulations, we show that an I60 of up to 10 μA/μm should be attainable. It is proven that the Schottky barrier FET (SBFET) has a 60 mV/decade subthreshold swing limit while combining a SBFET and a TFET does improve performance.