Abstract: The effects produced by swift heavy ions in the martensitic (18R) and austenitic phase (beta) of Cu based shape memory alloys were characterized. Single crystal samples with a surface normal close to [210](18R) and [001](beta) were irradiated with 200 MeV of Kr(15+), 230 MeV of Xe(15+), 350 and 600 MeV of Au(26+) and Au(29+). Changes in the microstructure were studied with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was found that swift heavy ion irradiation induced nanometer sized defects in the 18R martensitic phase. In contrast, a hexagonal close-packed phase formed on the irradiated surface of beta phase samples. HRTEM images of the nanometer sized defects observed in the 18R martensitic phase were compared with computer simulated images in order to interpret the origin of the observed contrast. The best agreement was obtained when the defects were assumed to consist of local composition modulations.

Abstract: Using improved Wigner-Brillouin perturbation theory we study resonant electron-phonon interaction in a semiconductor quantum dot. We predict pinning of the excited energy levels to the ground state level plus one optical phonon as a function of the strength of the confinement potential. This effect should be observable through optical spectroscopic measurements.

Abstract: Superconducting correlations in an isolated metallic grain are governed by the interplay between two energy scales: the mean level spacing delta and the bulk pairing gap Delta(0), which are strongly influenced by the position of the chemical potential with respect to the closest single-electron level. In turn superconducting correlations affect the position of the chemical potential. Within the parity projected BCS model we investigate the probability distribution of the chemical potential in a superconducting grain with randomly distributed single-electron levels. Taking into account statistical fluctuations of the chemical potential due to the pairing interaction, we find that such fluctuations have a significant impact on the critical level spacing delta(c) at which the superconducting correlations cease: the critical ratio delta(c)/Delta(0) at which superconductivity disappears is found to be increased.

Abstract: We investigate the dynamics of a charged particle moving in a graphene layer and in a two-dimensional electron gas, where it obeys the Dirac and the Schrödinger equations, respectively. The charge carriers are described as Gaussian wavepackets. The dynamics of the wavepackets is studied numerically by solving both quantum-mechanical and relativistic equations of motion. The scattering of such wavepackets by step-like magnetic and potential barriers is analysed for different values of wavepacket energy and width. We find: (1) that the average position of the wavepacket does not coincide with the classical trajectory, and (2) that, for slanted incidence, the path of the centre of mass of the wavepacket does not have to penetrate the barrier during the scattering process. Trembling motion of the charged particle in graphene is observed in the absence of an external magnetic field and can be enhanced by a substrate-induced mass term.

Abstract: The valley splitting of the conduction-band states in a thin silicon-on-insulator layer is investigated using the 30-band k . p theory. The system composed of a few nm thick Si layer embedded within thick SiO2 layers is analyzed. The valley split states are found to cross periodically with increasing quantum well width, and therefore the energy splitting is an oscillatory function of the quantum well width, with period determined by the wave vector K-0 of the conduction band minimum. Because the valley split states are classified by parity, the optical transition between the ground hole state and one of those valley split conduction band states is forbidden. The oscillations in the valley splitting energy decrease with electric field and with smoothing of the composition profile between the well and the barrier by diffusion of oxygen from the SiO2 layers to the Si quantum well. Such a smoothing also leads to a decrease of the interband transition matrix elements. The obtained results are well parametrized by the effective two-valley model, but are found to disagree from previous 30-band calculations. This discrepancy could be traced back to the fact that the basis for the numerical solution of the eigenproblem must be restricted to the first Brillouin zone in order to obtain quantitatively correct results for the valley splitting.

Abstract: The effects of strain, induced by a Gaussian bump, on the magnetic field dependent transport properties of a graphene Hall bar are investigated. The numerical simulations are performed using both classical and quantum mechanical transport theory and we found that both approaches exhibit similar characteristic features. The effects of the Gaussian bump are manifested by a decrease of the bend resistance, RB, around zero-magnetic field and the occurrence of side-peaks in RB. These features are explained as a consequence of bump-assisted scattering of electrons towards different terminals of the Hall bar. Using these features we are able to give an estimate of the size of the bump. Additional oscillations in RB are found in the quantum description that are due to the population/depopulation of Landau levels. The bump has a minor influence on the Hall resistance even for very high values of the pseudo-magnetic field. When the bump is placed outside the center of the Hall bar valley polarized electrons can be collected in the leads.

Abstract: In this paper, we show that the apparent delocalization of the conduction band reported from first-principles simulations for the high-mobility amorphous oxide semiconductor InGaZnO4 (a-IGZO) is an artifact induced by the periodic conditions imposed to the model. Given a sufficiently large unit-cell dimension (over 40 angstrom), the conduction band becomes localized. Such a model size is up to four times the size of commonly used models for the study of a-IGZO. This finding challenges the analyses done so far on the nature of the defects and on the interpretation of numerous electrical measurements. In particular, we re-interpret the meaning of the computed effective mass reported so far in literature. Our finding also applies to materials such as SiZnSnO, ZnSnO, InZnSnO, In2O3 or InAlZnO4 whose models have been reported to display a fully delocalized conduction band in the amorphous phase.

Abstract: <script type='text/javascript'>document.write(unpmarked('Due to nonzero intrinsic spin-orbit interaction in buckled honeycomb crystal structures, silicene and germanene exhibit interesting topological properties, and are therefore candidates for the realization of the quantum spin Hall effect. We employ the Kane-Mele model to investigate the electron states in hexagonal silicene and germanene nanorings having either zigzag or armchair edges in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. We present results for the energy spectra as function of magnetic field, the electron density of the spin-up and spin-down states in the ring plane, and the calculation of the probability current density. The quantum spin Hall phase is found at the edges between the nontrivial topological phase in silicene and germanene and vacuum. We demonstrate that the helical edge states in zigzag silicene and germanene nanorings can be qualitatively well understood by means of classical magnetic moments. However, this is not the case for comparable-sized armchair nanorings, where the eigenfunctions spread throughout the ring. Finally, we note that the energy spectra of silicene and germanene nanorings are similar and that the differences between the two are mainly related to the difference in magnitude of the spin-orbit coupling.'));

Abstract: Today, further downscaling of mobile electronic devices poses serious problems, such as energy consumption and local heat dissipation. In this context, spin wave majority gates made of very thin ferromagnetic films may offer a viable alternative. However, similar downscaling of magnetic thin films eventually enforces the latter to operate as quasi-2D magnets, the magnetic properties of which are not yet fully understood, especially those related to anisotropies and external magnetic fields in arbitrary directions. To this end, we have investigated the behaviour of an easy-plane and easy-axis anisotropic ferromagnet-both in two and three dimensions-subjected to a uniform magnetic field, applied along an arbitrary direction. In this paper, a spin-1/2 Heisenberg Hamiltonian with anisotropic exchange interactions is solved using double-time temperature-dependent Green's functions and the Tyablikov decoupling approximation. We determine various magnetic properties such as the Curie temperature and the magnetization as a function of temperature and the applied magnetic field, discussing the impact of the system's dimensionality and the type of anisotropy. The magnetic reorientation transition taking place in anisotropic Heisenberg ferromagnets is studied in detail. Importantly, spontaneous magnetization is found to be absent for easy-plane 2D spin systems with short range interactions.

Abstract: Bilayer graphene samples may exhibit regions where the two layers are locally delaminated forming a so-called quanttun blister in the graphene sheet. Electron and hole states can be confined in this graphene quantum blisters (GQB) by applying a global electrostatic bias. We scrutinize the electronic properties of these confined states under the variation of interlayer bias, coupling, and blister's size. The spectra display strong anti-crossings due to the coupling of the confined states on upper and lower layers inside the blister. These spectra are layer localized where the respective confined states reside on either layer or equally distributed. For finite angular momentum, this layer localization can be at the edge of the blister and corresponds to degenerate modes of opposite momenta. Furthermore, the energy levels in GQB exhibit electron-hole symmetry that is sensitive to the electrostatic bias. Finally, we demonstrate that confinement in GQB persists even in the presence of a variation in the interlayer coupling.

Abstract: The bandgap behavior of 2D-GaAs and graphene have been investigated with van der Waals heterostructured into a yet unexplored graphene/GaAs bilayer, under both uniaxial stress along c axis and different planar strain distributions. The 2D-GaAs bandgap nature changes from Gamma-K indirect in isolated monolayer to Gamma-Gamma direct in graphene/GaAs bilayer. In the latter, graphene exhibits a bandgap of 5 meV. The uniaxial stress strongly affects the graphene electronic bandgap, while symmetric in-plane strain does not open the bandgap in graphene. Nevertheless, it induces remarkable changes on the GaAs bandgap-width around the Fermi level. However, when applying asymmetric in-plane strain to graphene/GaAs, the graphene sublattice symmetry is broken, and the graphene bandgap is open at the Fermi level to a maximum width of 814 meV. This value is much higher than that reported for just graphene under asymmetric strain. The Gamma-Gamma direct bandgap of GaAs remains unchanged in graphene/ GaAs under different types of applied strain. The analyses of phonon dispersion and the elastic constants yield the dynamical and mechanical stability of the graphene/GaAs system, respectively. The calculated mechanical properties for bilayer heterostructure are better than those of their constituent monolayers. This finding, together with the tunable graphene bandgap not only by the strength but also by the direction of the strain, enhance the potential for strain engineering of ultrathin group-III-V electronic devices hybridized by graphene.

Abstract: Recently, topotactic fluorination has become an alternative way of doping epitaxial perovskite oxides through anion substitution to engineer their electronic properties instead of the more commonly used cation substitution. In this work, epitaxial oxyfluoride SrMnO2.5−δ F γ films were synthesized via topotactic fluorination of SrMnO2.5 films using polytetrafluoroethylene as the fluorine source. Oxidized SrMnO3 films were also prepared for comparison with the fluorinated samples. The F content, probed by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, was systematically controlled by adjusting fluorination conditions. Electronic transport measurements reveal that increased F content (up to γ  =  0.14) systematically increases the electrical resistivity, despite the nominal electron-doping induced by F substitution for O in these films. In contrast, oxidized SrMnO3 exhibits a decreased resistivity and conduction activation energy. A blue-shift of optical absorption features occurs with increasing F content. Density functional theory calculations indicate that F acts as a scattering center for electronic transport, controls the observed weak ferromagnetic behavior of the films, and reduces the inter-band optical transitions in the manganite films. These results stand in contrast to bulk electron-doped La1−x Ce x MnO3, illustrating how aliovalent anionic substitutions can yield physical behavior distinct from A-site substituted perovskites with the same nominal B-site oxidation states.

Abstract: Using relativistic density-functional calculations, we examine the magneto-crystalline anisotropy and exchange properties of transition-metal atoms adsorbed on 2D-GaAs. We show that single Mn and Mo atom (Co and Os) strongly bind on 2D-GaAs, and induce local out-of-plane (in-plane) magnetic anisotropy. When a pair of TM atoms is adsorbed on 2D-GaAs in a close range from each other, magnetisation properties change (become tunable) with respect to concentrations and ordering of the adatoms. In all cases, we reveal presence of strong Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. These results indicate novel pathways towards two-dimensional chiral magnetic materials by design, tailored for desired applications in magneto-electronics.

Abstract: We study the effect of structural inversion asymmetry, induced by the presence of substrates or by external electric fields, on charge transport in magnetic topological ultra-thin films. We consider general orientations of the magnetic impurities. Our results are based on the Boltzmann formalism along with a modified relaxation time scheme. We show that the structural inversion asymmetry enhances the charge transport anisotropy induced by the magnetic impurities and when only one conduction subband contributes to the charge transport a dissipationless charge current is accessible. We demonstrate how a substrate or gate voltage can control the effect of the magnetic impurities on the charge transport, and how this depends on the orientation of the magnetic impurities.