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: We theoretically investigate the intrinsic optical anisotropy or polarization induced by the microscopic interface asymmetry (MIA) in no-common-atom (NCA) InAs/GaSb superlattices (SLs) grown along the [001] direction. The eight-band K⋅P model is used to calculate the electronic band structures and incorporates the MIA effect. A Boltzmann equation approach is employed to calculate the optical properties. We found that in NCA InAs/GaSb SLs, the MIA effect causes a large in-plane optical anisotropy for linearly polarized light and the largest anisotropy occurs for light polarized along the [110] and [11̅ 0] directions. The relative difference between the optical-absorption coefficient for [110]-polarized light and that for [11̅ 0]-polarized light is found to be larger than 50%. The dependence of the in-plane optical anisotropy on temperature, photoexcited carrier density, and layer width is examined in detail. This study is important for optical devices which require the polarization control and selectivity.

Abstract: We show that the transmission through single and double δ-function potential barriers of strength P=VWb/ℏvF in bilayer graphene is periodic in P with period π. For a certain range of P values we find states that are bound to the potential barrier and that run along the potential barrier. Similar periodic behavior is found for the conductance. The spectrum of a periodic succession of δ-function barriers (Kronig-Penney model) in bilayer graphene is periodic in P with period 2π. For P smaller than a critical value Pc, the spectrum exhibits two Dirac points while for P larger than Pc an energy gap opens. These results are extended to the case of a superlattice of δ-function barriers with P alternating in sign between successive barriers; the corresponding spectrum is periodic in P with period π.

Abstract: We study in detail the optoelectronic properties of graphene. Considering the electron interactions with photons and phonons, we employ the mass- and energy-balance equations to self-consistently evaluate the photoinduced carrier densities, the optical conductance, and the transmission coefficient in the presence of a linearly polarized radiation field. We demonstrate that the photoinduced carrier densities increase around the electron-photon-phonon resonant transition. They depend strongly on the radiation intensity and frequency, temperature, and dark carrier density. For short-wavelength radiation (L<3 μm), we obtain the universal optical conductance σ0=e2/(4ℏ). Importantly, there exists an optical-absorption window in the radiation wavelength range 4100 μm, which is induced by different transition energies required for interband and intraband optical absorption. The position and width of this window depend sensitively on the temperature and the carrier density of the system. These theoretical results are in line with recent experimental findings and indicate that graphene exhibits important features not only in the visible regime but also in the midinfrared bandwidth.

Abstract: Flux entry in type-II superconductors without prominent symmetry is a first-order phase transition, where flux enters conventionally gradual in units of a flux quantum. Here we show that neither is necessarily the case in a mesoscopic superconducting sphere with a perforation. In axially applied magnetic field, vortices initially occupy the hole, and can oppose further flux entry in the sample. As a result, multiple-quanta flux entry is found at significantly higher field, and it can manifest as a second-order transition due to suppressed geometric barrier at the equatorial belt of the sample. At high fields a new state is found, with gradually destroyed condensate from the equator inwards, the exact opposite of surface superconductivity.

Abstract: The band structure of two-dimensional artificial superlattices in the presence of (Rashba-type) spin-orbit interaction (SOI) is presented. The position and shape of the energy bands in these spintronic crystals depend on the geometry as well as the strength of the SOI, which can be tuned by external gate voltages. For finite mesoscopic arrays, we show that their conductance properties and possible applications can be understood from these spin-dependent band diagrams.

Abstract: We study the influence of the inelastic relaxation time τ̃E of the quasiparticle distribution function f(E) on the phase slip process in quasi-one-dimensional superconducting rings at a temperature close to the critical temperature Tc. We find that the initial time of growth of the order parameter |Δ| in the phase slip core after the phase slip is a nonmonotonic function of τ̃E which has a maximum at τ̃E≃τ̃GL=πℏ/8kB(Tc−T) and has a tendency to saturate for large τ̃E⪢τ̃GL. The effective heating of the electron subsystem due to the increase in |Δ| in the phase slip center together with the above effect result in a nonmonotonic dependence of the number of subsequent phase slips on τ̃E in rings of relatively large radius (in which each phase slip reduces the current density to a small fraction of its initial value). During the phase slip process the order parameter distribution has two peaks near the phase slip core due to the diffusion of the nonequilibrium quasiparticles from that region.

Abstract: The effect of the Coulomb interaction on the energy spectrum and anisotropic distribution of two electron states in a quantum ring in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit interaction (RSOI) and Dresselhaus SOI (DSOI) is investigated in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. We find that the interplay between the RSOI and DSOI makes the single quantum ring behaves like a laterally coupled quantum dot and the interdot coupling can be tuned by changing the strengths of the SOIs. The interplay can lead to singlet-triplet state mixing and anticrossing behavior when the singlet and triplet states meet with increasing magnetic field. The two electron ground state displays a bar-bell-like spatial anisotropic distribution in a quantum ring at a specific crystallographic direction, i.e., [110] or [11̅ 0], which can be switched by reversing the direction of the perpendicular electric field. The ground state exhibits a singlet-triplet state transition with increasing magnetic field and strengths of RSOI and DSOI. An anisotropic electron distribution is predicted which can be detected through the measurement of its optical properties.

Abstract: We study a mesoscopic superconducting rod with a magnetic dot on its top having its moment oriented along the axis of symmetry. We study the dependence of the vortex pattern with the height and find that for very short and very long rods, the vortex pattern acquires a simple structure, consisting of giant and of multivortex states, respectively. In the long limit, the most stable configuration consists of two vortices, that reach the lateral surface of the rod diametrically opposed. The long rod shows reentrant behavior within some range of its radius and of the dots magnetic moment. Our results are obtained within the Ginzburg-Landau approach in the limit of no magnetic shielding.

Abstract: The time evolution of a wave packet in strained graphene is studied within the tight-binding model and continuum model. The effect of an external magnetic field, as well as a strain-induced pseudomagnetic field, on the wave-packet trajectories and zitterbewegung are analyzed. Combining the effects of strain with those of an external magnetic field produces an effective magnetic field which is large in one of the Dirac cones, but can be practically zero in the other. We construct an efficient valley filter, where for a propagating incoming wave packet consisting of momenta around the K and K' Dirac points, the outgoing wave packet exhibits momenta in only one of these Dirac points while the components of the packet that belong to the other Dirac point are reflected due to the Lorentz force. We also found that the zitterbewegung is permanent in time in the presence of either external or strain-induced magnetic fields, but when both the external and strain-induced magnetic fields are present, the zitterbewegung is transient in one of the Dirac cones, whereas in the other cone the wave packet exhibits permanent spatial oscillations.

Abstract: At the interface of electrostatic potential kink profiles, one-dimensional chiral states are found in bilayer graphene (BLG). Such structures can be created by applying an asymmetric potential to the upper and the lower layers of BLG. We found the following: (i) due to the strong confinement by the single kink profile, the unidirectional states are only weakly affected by a magnetic field; (ii) increasing the smoothness of the kink potential results in additional bound states, which are topologically different from those chiral states; and (iii) in the presence of a kink-antikink potential, the overlap between the oppositely moving chiral states results in the appearance of crossing and anticrossing points in the energy spectrum. This leads to the opening of tunable minigaps in the spectrum of the unidirectional topological states.

Abstract: Starting from fully converged density-functional theory calculations, the quasiparticle corrections are calculated for different sized Si and Ge nanowires using the GW approximation. The effectiveness of recently developed techniques in speeding up the convergence of the quasiparticle calculations is demonstrated. The complete quasiparticle band structures are also obtained using an interpolation technique based on maximallylocalized Wannier functions. From the quasiparticle results, we assess the correctness of the commonly applied scissor-shift correction. Dispersion changes are observed, which are also reflected in changes in the effective band masses calculated taking into account quasiparticle corrections.

Abstract: An analytical approach, using the Dirac-Weyl equation, is implemented to obtain the energy spectrum and optical absorption of a circular graphene quantum dot in the presence of an external magnetic field. Results are obtained for the infinite-massand zigzag boundary conditions. We found that the energy spectrum of a dot with the zigzag boundary condition exhibits a zero-energy band regardless of the value of the magnetic field, while for the infinite-mass boundary condition, the zero-energy states appear only for high magnetic fields. The analytical results are compared to those obtained from the tight-binding model: (i) we show the validity range of the continuum model and (ii) we find that the continuum model with the infinite-mass boundary condition describes rather well its tight-binding analog, which can be partially attributed to the blurring of the mixed edges by the staggered potential.

Abstract: We study how mechanical strain affects the magnetic field dependence of the exciton states in type-I semiconductor nanorings. Strain spatially separates the electron and hole in (In,Ga)As/GaAs nanorings which is beneficial for the occurrence of the excitonic Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect. In narrow strained (In,Ga)As/GaAs nanorings the AB oscillations in the exciton ground-state energy are due to anticrossings with the first excited state. No such AB oscillations are found in unstrained GaAs/(Al,Ga)As nanorings irrespective of the ring width. Our results are obtained within an exact numerical diagonalization scheme and are shown to be accurately described by a two-level model with off-diagonal coupling t. The later transfer integral expresses the Coulomb coupling between states of electron-hole pairs. We also found that the oscillator strength for exciton recombination in (In,Ga)As/GaAs nanorings exhibits AB oscillations, which are superimposed on a linear increase with magnetic field. Our results agree qualitatively with recent experiments on the excitonic Aharonov-Bohm effect in type-I (In,Ga)As/GaAs nanorings.