Abstract: The cyclotron resonance energies, the corresponding oscillator strengths, and the cyclotron absorption spectrum for trilayer graphene are calculated for both ABA and ABC stacking. A gate potential across the stacked layers leads to (1) a reduction of the transition energies, (2) a lifting of the degeneracy of the zero Landau level, and (3) the removal of the electron-hole symmetry.

Abstract: Thermal fluctuations of single layer hydrogenated graphene (graphane) are investigated using large scale atomistic simulations. By analyzing the mean square value of the height fluctuations < h(2)> and the height-height correlation function H(q) for different system sizes and temperatures, we show that hydrogenated graphene is an unrippled system in contrast to graphene. The height fluctuations are bounded, which is confirmed by a H(q) tending to a constant in the long wavelength limit instead of showing the characteristic scaling law q(4-eta)(eta similar or equal to 0.85) predicted by membrane theory. This unexpected behavior persists up to temperatures of at least 900 K and is a consequence of the fact that in graphane the thermal energy can be accommodated by in-plane bending modes, i.e., modes involving C-C-C bond angles in the buckled carbon layer, instead of leading to significant out-of-plane fluctuations that occur in graphene.

Abstract: The hydrogen interstitial and the substitutional AlZn, GaZn, and InZn are all shallow donors in ZnO and lead to n-type conductivity. Although shallow donors are expected to repel each other, we show by first-principles calculations that in ZnO these shallow donor impurities attract and form a complex, leading to a donor level deep in the band gap. This puts a limit on the n-type conductivity of (Al,Ga,In)-doped ZnO in the presence of hydrogen.

Abstract: The scattering of a Gaussian wave packet in armchair and zigzag graphene edges is theoretically investigated by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the tight-binding model Hamiltonian. Our theory allows us to investigate scattering in reciprocal space, and depending on the type of graphene edge we observe scattering within the same valley, or between different valleys. In the presence of an external magnetic field, the well-known skipping orbits are observed. However, our results demonstrate that in the case of a pseudomagnetic field, induced by nonuniform strain, the scattering by an armchair edge results in a nonpropagating edge state.

Abstract: Electrons in graphene, in addition to their spin, have two pseudospin degrees of freedom: sublattice and valley pseudospin. Valleytronics uses the valley degree of freedom as a carrier of information similarly to the way spintronics uses electron spin. We show how a double-barrier structure consisting of electric and vector potentials can be used to filter massive Dirac electrons based on their valley index. We study the resonant transmission through a finite number of barriers and we obtain the energy spectrum of a superlattice consisting of electric and vector potentials. When a mass term is included, the energy bands and energy gaps at the K and K′ points are different and they can be tuned by changing the potential.

Abstract: We apply neutron diffraction, high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction, magnetization measurements, electronic structure calculations, and quantum Monte-Carlo simulations to unravel the structure and magnetism of (CuCl)LaTa2O7. Despite the pseudo-tetragonal crystallographic unit cell, this compound features an orthorhombic superstructure, similar to the Nb-containing (CuX)LaNb2O7 with X = Cl and Br. The spin lattice entails dimers formed by the antiferromagnetic fourth-neighbor coupling J(4), as well as a large number of nonequivalent interdimer couplings quantified by an effective exchange parameter J(eff). In (CuCl)LaTa2O7, the interdimer couplings are sufficiently strong to induce the long-range magnetic order with the Neel temperature T-N similar or equal to 7 K and the ordered magnetic moment of 0.53 mu(B), as measured with neutron diffraction. This magnetic behavior can be accounted for by J(eff)/J(4) similar or equal to 1.6 and J(4) similar or equal to 16 K. We further propose a general magnetic phase diagram for the (CuCl)LaNb2O7-type compounds, and explain the transition from the gapped spin-singlet (dimer) ground state in (CuCl)LaNb2O7 to the long-range antiferromagnetic order in (CuCl)LaTa2O7 and (CuBr)LaNb2O7 by an increase in the magnitude of the interdimer couplings J(eff)/J(4), with the (CuCl)LaM2O7 (M = Nb, Ta) compounds lying on different sides of the quantum critical point that separates the singlet and long-range-ordered magnetic ground states.

Abstract: Within the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory we discuss the effect of nonmagnetic interactions between the normal current and supercurrent in the presence of electric and magnetic fields. The correction due to the current-current interactions is shown to have a transient character so that it contributes only when a system evolves. Numerical studies for thin current-carrying superconducting strips with no magnetic feedback show that the effect of the normal current corrections is more pronounced in the resistive state where fast-moving kinematic vortices are formed. Simulations also reveal that the largest contribution due to current-current interactions appears near the sample edges, where the vortices reach their maximal velocity.

Abstract: We studied theoretically the effect of time symmetric and asymmetric electromagnetic (e.m.) radiation on the phase-slip process in superconducting wires in the regime where there is no stimulation of superconductivity. We found that for large amplitudes j(ac) of the symmetric ac signal the value of the lower critical current j(c1)(j(ac)) at which the voltage vanishes in the sample oscillates as a function of j(ac). The amplitude of these oscillations decays with increasing power of the ac signal, and we explain it either by the existence of a maximal current j(c3) beyond which no phase slips can be created or by a weak heat removal from the sample. Applying an asymmetric in time signal (with zero dc current) we show that it may lead to a finite voltage in the system (i.e., ratchet effect). At high enough frequencies the rectified voltage is directly proportional to the frequency of the applied e.m. radiation. These properties resemble in many aspects the behavior of a Josephson junction under e.m. radiation. The differences are mainly connected to the effect of the transport current on the magnitude of the order parameter.

Abstract: The influence of the geometry of a thin superconducting sample on the penetration of the magnetic field lines and the arrangement of vortices are investigated theoretically. We compare the vortex state of superconducting disks, squares, and triangles with the same surface area having nonzero thickness. The coupled nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equations are solved self-consistently and the important demagnetization effects are taken into account. We calculate and compare quantities such as the free energy, the magnetization, the Cooper-pair density, the magnetic field distribution, and the superconducting current density for the three geometries. For given vorticity the vortex lattice is different for the three geometries, i.e., it tries to adapt to the geometry of the sample. This also influences the stability range of the different vortex states. For certain magnetic field ranges we found a coexistence of a giant vortex placed in the center and single vortices towards the corners of the sample. The H-T phase diagram is obtained for the three investigated geometries and we found that the critical magnetic field is substantially enhanced for the triangle geometry.

Abstract: We investigate the influence of a periodic weak modulation along the x direction on the electrical and thermal properties of a two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. The modulation lifts the degeneracy of the Landau levels and leads to one-dimensional magnetic bands whose bandwidth oscillates as a function of the magnetic field. At weak magnetic fields this gives rise to the Weiss oscillations in the magnetoresistance, discovered recently, which have a very weakly temperature-dependent amplitude and a period proportional to square-root n(e), when n(e) is the electron density. Diffusion-current contributions, proportional to the square of the bandwidth, dominate rho(xx), and collisional contributions, varying approximately as the square of the density of states, dominate rho(yy). The result is that rho(xx) and rho(yy) oscillate out of phase as observed. Asymptotic analytical expressions are presented for the conductivity tensor. Similar oscillations, of much smaller amplitude, occur in the thermodynamic quantities, such as the magnetization, the susceptibility, and the specific heat. We also predict oscillations in the Hall resistance, the cyclotron resonance position, the linewidth, as well as in the thermal conductivity and thermopower. The components of the thermal-resistance tensor have a magnetic-field dependence similar to that of the electrical-resistivity tensor.

Abstract: A semiconductor quantum dot model accounting for single exciton as well as biexciton states coupled to phonons and laser light is investigated in the limit of strong electronic confinement. For an arbitrary sequence of excitations with ultrafast pulses analytical solutions are obtained for all density-matrix elements. The results are nonperturbative with respect to both the carrier-phonon and the carrier-light coupling. Numerical results for a single pulse excitation are presented illustrating spectral features of our solution as well as pulse area and temperature dependences.

Abstract: The electronic structure of disk-shaped InP/InGaP self-assembled quantum dots is calculated within the effective-mass theory. The strain-dependent 6x6 multiband Hamiltonian for the valence band is simplified into an axially symmetric form. Both the continuum mechanical model, discretized by finite elements, and the isotropic model are used to calculate the strain distribution and their results are critically compared. The dependence of the electron and the hole energy levels on the dimensions of the quantum dot is investigated. We found that both the electron and hole energies are underestimated if the strain distribution is calculated by the isotropic elasticity theory. The agreement between the electron energies for the two approaches is better for thinner quantum dots. The heavy holes are confined inside the quantum dot, while the light holes are located outside the disk, but confined by the strain field near the edge of the disk periphery. We found that the (h) over bar /2 hole ground state crosses the 3 (h) over bar /2 ground state when the height of the quantum dot increases and becomes the ground state for sufficiently thick quantum disks. The higher hole levels exhibit both crossings between the states of the different parity and anticrossings between the states of the same parity.

Abstract: We present a detailed analysis of the point-defect clustering in strained Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x)/(001)Si structures, including the interaction of the point defects with the strained interfaces and the sample surface during 400 kV electron irradiation at room temperature. Point-defect cluster formation is very sensitive to the type and magnitude of the strain in the Si and Si(1-x)Ge(x) layers. A small compressive strain (-0.3%) in the SiGe alloy causes an aggregation of vacancies in the form of metastable [110]-oriented chains. They are located on {113} planes and further recombine with interstitials. Tensile strain in the Si layer causes an aggregation of interstitial atoms in the forms of additional [110] rows which are inserted on {113} planes with [001]-split configurations. The chainlike configurations are characterized by a large outward lattice relaxation for interstitial rows (0.13 +/-0.01 nm) and a very small inward relaxation for vacancy chains (0.02+/-0.01 nm). A compressive strain higher than -0.5% strongly decreases point-defect generation inside the strained SiGe alloy due to the large positive value of the formation volume of a Frenkel pair. This leads to the suppression of point-defect clustering in a strained SiGe alloy so that SiGe relaxes via a diffusion of vacancies from the Si layer, giving rise to an intermixing at the Si/SiGe interface. In material with a 0.9% misfit a strongly increased flow of vacancies from the Si layer to the SiGe layer and an increased biaxial strain in SiGe bath promote the preferential aggregation of vacancies in the (001) plane, which relaxes to form intrinsic 60 degrees dislocation loops.

Abstract: The magnetic proper-ties and their correlation with the microstructure and electrical transport are investigated in La0.88Sr0.1MnO3 films grown on (100)SrTiO3 Single crystal substrates with thickness ranging from 100 to 2500 Angstrom. The ultrathin film (t = 100 Angstrom) has a single ferromagnetic transition (FMT) at T-c of 250 K, whereas the thicker films exhibit two FMTs, with the main one at a lowered T-c of 200 K while the minor one around 300 K. Furthermore, a thickness dependent magnetic anisotropy has been found, strongly indicating the existence of strain effect, which is also revealed by the transmission electron microscopy study. The suppressed Jahn-Teller distortion (JTD) by the epitaxial strain, and the recovered JTD due to the strain relexation are suggested to explain the metallic behavior in thin films and the insulating behavior in the thick film (t = 2500 Angstrom), repectively.

Abstract: Recently, core-shell Ag-Co, Ag-Cu, and “onionlike” Cu-Co equilibrium configurations were predicted in the case of isolated face centered cubic (fcc) bimetallic clusters, and three shell onionlike configurations were predicted in the case of ternary metallic clusters with spherical and truncated octahedral morphologies. In the present paper, immiscible binary CuCo and ternary AgCuCo clusters with icosahedral structures are studied as functions of their size and composition. Clusters studied are formed by 13, 55, 147, 309, and 561 atoms corresponding to the five smallest possible closed shell icosahedral structures. An embedded atom model potential is used to describe their cohesion. Equilibrium configurations are investigated by means of Metropolis Monte Carlo free energy minimization in the (NPT) canonical ensemble. Most simulations are achieved at 10 and 300 K. The effect of temperature on segregation ordering is systematically investigated. Selected cases are used to identify the effect of size and composition on melting. In contrast with fcc clusters, homogeneous onionlike configurations of binary clusters are not predicted. When it is allowed by the composition, a complete outer shell is formed by Cu in binary Cu-Co clusters and by Ag in ternary Ag-Cu-Co clusters. Depending on temperature, Co may precipitate into decahedral groups under the Cu vertices of the icosahedra in binary clusters, while the Co-Cu configuration in ternary clusters drastically depends on the Ag coating. Despite the multicomponent character of the clusters and the immiscibility of the species forming them, for most compositions and sizes, equilibrium structures remain close to perfectly icosahedral at 10 K as well as at 300 K.