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“Spin and valley polarization of plasmons in silicene due to external fields”. Van Duppen B, Vasilopoulos P, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 035142 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.035142
Abstract: The electronic properties of the two-dimensional material silicene are strongly influenced by the application of a perpendicular electric field E-z and of an exchange field M due to adatoms positioned on the surface or a ferromagnetic substrate. Within the random phase approximation, we investigate how electron-electron interactions are affected by these fields and present analytical and numerical results for the dispersion of plasmons, their lifetime, and their oscillator strength. We find that the combination of the fields E-z and M brings a spin and valley texture to the particle-hole excitation spectrum and allows the formation of spin-and valley-polarized plasmons. When the Fermi level lies in the gap of one spin in one valley, the intraband region of the corresponding spectrum disappears. For zero E-z and finite M the spin symmetry is broken and spin polarization is possible. The lifetime and oscillator strength of the plasmons are shown to depend strongly on the number of spin and valley type electrons that form the electron-hole pairs.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 49
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.035142
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“Parity-fluctuation induced enlargement of the ratio \DeltaE/kBTc in metallic grains”. Croitoru MD, Shanenko AA, Peeters FM, Axt VM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 84, 214518 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.214518
Abstract: We investigate how the interplay of quantum confinement and particle number-parity fluctuations affects superconducting correlations in ultra-small metallic grains. Using the number-parity projected BCS formalism we calculate the critical temperature and the excitation gap as a function of the grain size for grains with even and odd number of confined carriers. We show that the experimentally observed anomalous increase of the coupling ratio ΔE/kBTc with decreasing superconducting grain size can be attributed to an enhancement of the number-parity fluctuations in ultra-small grains.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 14
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.214518
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“Antiferromagnetism in hexagonal graphene structures : rings versus dots”. Grujić, M, Tadić, M, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 085434 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085434
Abstract: Themean-field Hubbard model is used to investigate the formation of the antiferromagnetic phase in hexagonal graphene rings with inner zigzag edges. The outer edge of the ring was taken to be either zigzag or armchair, and we found that both types of structures can have a larger antiferromagnetic interaction as compared with hexagonal dots. This difference could be partially ascribed to the larger number of zigzag edges per unit area in rings than in dots. Furthermore, edge states localized on the inner ring edge are found to hybridize differently than the edge states of dots, which results in important differences in the magnetism of graphene rings and dots. The largest staggered magnetization is found when the outer edge has a zigzag shape. However, narrow rings with armchair outer edge are found to have larger staggered magnetization than zigzag hexagons. The edge defects are shown to have the least effect on magnetization when the outer ring edge is armchair shaped. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085434
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 29
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085434
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“Electronic and optical properties of a circular graphene quantum dot in a magnetic field : influence of the boundary conditions”. Grujić, M, Zarenia M, Chaves A, Tadić, M, Farias GA, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 84, 205441 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.205441
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.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 78
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.205441
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“Tunable optical Aharonov-Bohm effect in a semiconductor quantum ring”. Li B, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 83, 115448 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.115448
Abstract: By applying an electric field perpendicular to a semiconductor quantum ring we show that it is possible to modify the single particle wave function between quantum dot (QD)-like and ring-like. The constraints on the geometrical parameters of the quantum ring to realize such a transition are derived. With such a perpendicular electric field we are able to tune the Aharanov-Bohm (AB) effect for both the single particle and for excitons. The tunability is in both the strength of the AB effect as well as in its periodicity. We also investigate the strain induce potential inside the self-assembled quantum ring and the effect of the strain on the AB effect.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 25
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.83.115448
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“Electronic structure of a hexagonal graphene flake subjected to triaxial stress”. Neek-Amal M, Covaci L, Shakouri K, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 115428 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.115428
Abstract: The electronic properties of a triaxially strained hexagonal graphene flake with either armchair or zigzag edges are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations and tight-binding calculations. We found that (i) the pseudomagnetic field in strained graphene flakes is not uniform neither in the center nor at the edge of zigzag terminated flakes, (ii) the pseudomagnetic field is almost zero in the center of armchair terminated flakes but increases dramatically near the edges, (iii) the pseudomagnetic field increases linearly with strain, for strains lower than 15% but increases nonlinearly beyond it, (iv) the local density of states in the center of the zigzag hexagon exhibits pseudo-Landau levels with broken sublattice symmetry in the zeroth pseudo-Landau level, and in addition there is a shift in the Dirac cone due to strain induced scalar potentials, and (v) there is size effect in pseudomagnetic field. This study provides a realistic model of the electronic properties of inhomogeneously strained graphene where the relaxation of the atomic positions is correctly included together with strain induced modifications of the hopping terms up to next-nearest neighbors.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 46
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.115428
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“Melting of graphene clusters”. Singh SK, Neek-Amal M, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 134103 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134103
Abstract: Density-functional tight-binding and classical molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the structural deformations and melting of planar carbon nanoclusters C-N with N = 2-55. The minimum-energy configurations for different clusters are used as starting configurations for the study of the temperature effects on the bond breaking and rotation in carbon lines (N < 6), carbon rings (5 < N < 19), and graphene nanoflakes. The larger the rings (graphene nanoflakes) the higher the transition temperature (melting point) with ring-to-line (perfect-to-defective) transition structures. The melting point was obtained by using the bond energy, the Lindemann criteria, and the specific heat. We found that hydrogen-passivated graphene nanoflakes (CNHM) have a larger melting temperature with a much smaller dependence on size. The edges in the graphene nanoflakes exhibit several different metastable configurations (isomers) during heating before melting occurs. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134103
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 28
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134103
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“Strain and band-mixing effects on the excitonic Aharonov-Bohm effect in In(Ga)As/GaAs ringlike quantum dots”. Arsoski VV, Tadić, MZ, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 085314 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085314
Abstract: Neutral excitons in strained axially symmetric In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots with a ringlike shape are investigated. Similar to experimental self-assembled quantum rings, the analyzed quantum dots have volcano-like shapes. The continuum mechanical model is employed to determine the strain distribution, and the single-band envelope function approach is adopted to compute the electron states. The hole states are determined by the axially symmetric multiband Luttinger-Kohn Hamiltonian, and the exciton states are obtained from an exact diagonalization. We found that the presence of the inner layer covering the ring opening enhances the excitonic Aharonov-Bohm (AB) oscillations. The reason is that the hole becomes mainly localized in the inner part of the quantum dot due to strain, whereas the electron resides mainly inside the ring-shaped rim. Interestingly, larger AB oscillations are found in the analyzed quantum dot than in a fully opened quantum ring of the same width. Comparison with the unstrained ringlike quantum dot shows that the amplitude of the excitonic Aharonov-Bohm oscillations are almost doubled in the presence of strain. The computed oscillations of the exciton energy levels are comparable in magnitude to the oscillations measured in recent experiments. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085314
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 18
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085314
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“AA-stacked bilayer square ice between graphene layers”. Sobrino Fernandez MM, Neek-Amal M, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 92, 245428 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.245428
Abstract: Water confined between two graphene layers with a separation of a few A forms a layered two-dimensional ice structure. Using large scale molecular dynamics simulations with the adoptable ReaxFF interatomic potential we found that flat monolayer ice with a rhombic-square structure nucleates between the graphene layers which is nonpolar and nonferroelectric. We provide different energetic considerations and H-bonding results that explain the interlayer and intralayer properties of two-dimensional ice. The controversial AA stacking found experimentally [Algara-Siller et al., Nature (London) 519, 443 (2015)] is consistent with our minimum-energy crystal structure of bilayer ice. Furthermore, we predict that an odd number of layers of ice has the same lattice structure as monolayer ice, while an even number of ice layers exhibits the square ice AA stacking of bilayer ice.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 40
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.245428
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“Plasmonic excitations in Coulomb-coupled N-layer graphene structures”. Zhu J-J, Badalyan SM, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 085401 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085401
Abstract: We study Dirac plasmons and their damping in spatially separated N-layer graphene structures at finite doping and temperatures. The plasmon spectrum consists of one optical excitation with square-root dispersion and N – 1 acoustical excitations with linear dispersion, which are undamped at zero temperature and finite doping within a triangular energy region outside the electron-hole continuum. In the long-wavelength limit the energy and weight of the optical plasmon modes increase, respectively, as the square root and linearly with N in agreement with recent experimental findings. The energy and weight of the upper-lying acoustical branches also increase with N. This increase is strongest for the uppermost acoustical mode, and we find that its energy can exceed at some value of momentum the plasmon energy in an individual graphene sheet. Meanwhile, the energy of the low-lying acoustical branches decreases weakly with N as compared with the single acoustical mode in double-layer graphene structures. Our numerical calculations provide a detailed understanding of the overall behavior of the wave-vector dependence of the optical and acoustical multilayer plasmon modes and show how their dispersion and damping are modified as a function of temperature, interlayer spacing, and inlayer carrier density in (un)balanced graphene multilayer structures. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085401
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 59
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.085401
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“Piezoelectric surface acoustical phonon limited mobility of electrons in graphene on a GaAs substrate”. Zhang SH, Xu W, Badalyan SM, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 075443 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075443
Abstract: We study the mobility of Dirac fermions in monolayer graphene on a GaAs substrate, limited by the combined action of the extrinsic potential of piezoelectric surface acoustical phonons of GaAs (PA) and of the intrinsic deformation potential of acoustical phonons in graphene (DA). In the high-temperature (T) regime, the momentum relaxation rate exhibits the same linear dependence on T but different dependencies on the carrier density n, corresponding to the mobility mu proportional to 1 root n and 1/n, respectively for the PA and DA scattering mechanisms. In the low-T Bloch-Gruneisen regime, the mobility shows the same square-root density dependence mu proportional to root n, but different temperature dependencies mu proportional to T-3 and T-4, respectively for PA and DA phonon scattering. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075443
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 25
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075443
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“Optoelectronic properties of graphene in the presence of optical phonon scattering”. Xu W, Dong HM, Li LL, Yao JQ, Vasilopoulos P, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 82, 125304 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.125304
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.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 28
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.125304
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“Spin- and valley-dependent transport through arrays of ferromagnetic silicene junctions”. Missault N, Vasilopoulos P, Vargiamidis V, Peeters FM, Van Duppen B, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 92, 195423 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.195423
Abstract: We study ballistic transport of Dirac fermions in silicene through arrays of barriers, of width d, in the presence of an exchange field M and a tunable potential of height U or depth-U. The spin-and valley-resolved conductances as functions of U or M, exhibit resonances away from the Dirac point (DP) and close to it a pronounced dip that becomes a gap when a critical electric field E-z is applied. This gap widens by increasing the number of barriers and can be used to realize electric field-controlled switching of the current. The spin p(s) and valley p(v) polarizations of the current near the DP increase with Ez or M and can reach 100% for certain of their values. These field ranges widen significantly by increasing the number of barriers. Also, ps and pv oscillate nearly periodically with the separation between barriers or wells and can be inverted by reversing M.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 54
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.195423
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“Quantum magnetotransport properties of a MoS2 monolayer”. Tahir M, Vasilopoulos P, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 93, 035406 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.035406
Abstract: We study transport properties of a MoS2 monolayer in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field B. We derive and discuss its band structure and take into account spin and valley Zeeman effects. Compared to a conventional two-dimensional electron gas, these effects lead to new quantum Hall plateaus and new peaks in the longitudinal resistivity as functions of the magnetic field. The field B leads to a significant enhancement of the spin splitting in the conduction band, to a beating of the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations in the low-field regime, and to their splitting in the high-field regime. The Zeeman fields suppress significantly the beating of the SdH oscillations in the low-field regime and strongly enhance their splitting at high fields. The spin and valley polarizations show a similar beating pattern at low fields and are clearly separated at high fields in which they attain a value higher than 90%.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 42
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.93.035406
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“Two-shell vortex and antivortex dynamics in a Corbino superconducting disk”. Cabral LRE, de Aquino BRCHT, de Souza Silva CC, Milošević, MV, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 93, 014515 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.014515
Abstract: We examine theoretically the dynamics of two vortex shells in pinning-free superconducting thin disks in the Corbino geometry. In the first considered case, the inner shell is composed of vortices and the outer one of antivortices, corresponding to a state induced by the stray field of an off-plane magnetic dipole placed on top of the superconductor. In the second considered case, both shells comprise vortices induced by a homogeneous external field. We derive the equation of motion for each shell within the Bardeen-Stephen model and study the dynamics analytically by assuming both shells are rigid and commensurate. In both cases, two distinct regimes for vortex shell motion are identified: For low applied currents the entire configuration rotates rigidly, while above a threshold current the shells decouple from each other and rotate at different angular velocities. Analytical expressions for the decoupling current, the recombination time in the decoupled phases, as well as the voltage-current characteristics are presented. Our analytical results are in excellent agreement with numerical molecular dynamics simulations of the full many-vortex problem.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 7
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.93.014515
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“Topological confinement in trilayer graphene”. de Sena SHR, Pereira JM, Peeters FM, Farias GA, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 035420 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.035420
Abstract: We calculate the spectrum of states that are localized at the interface between two regions of opposite bias in trilayer graphene (TLG). These potential profiles, also known as potential kinks, have been predicted to support two different branches of localized states for the case of bilayer graphene, and show similarities to the surface states of topological insulators. On the other hand, we found that ABC stacked TLG exhibits three different unidimensional branches of states in each valley that are confined to the kink interface. They have the property E(k(y)) = -E(-k(y)) when belonging to the same valley and E-K(k(y)) = -E-K' (-k(y)). A kink-antikink potential profile opens a gap in the spectrum of these one-dimensional states.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 4
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.035420
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“Landau levels in asymmetric graphene trilayer”. Sena SHR, Pereira JM, Peeters FM, Farias GA, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 84, 205448 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.205448
Abstract: The electronic spectrum of three coupled graphene layers (graphene trilayers) is investigated in the presence of an external magnetic field. We obtain analytical expressions for the Landau level spectrum for both the ABA and ABC type of stacking, which exhibit very different dependence on the magnetic field. We show that layer asymmetry and an external gate voltage can strongly influence the properties of the system.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 30
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.205448
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“Yukawa particles confined in a channel and subject to a periodic potential : ground state and normal modes”. Carvalho JCN, Ferreira WP, Farias GA, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 83, 094109 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.094109
Abstract: We consider a classical system of two-dimensional (2D) charged particles, interacting through a repulsive Yukawa potential exp(-r/λ)/r, and confined in a parabolic channel that limits the motion of the particles in the y direction. Along the x direction, the particles are subject to a periodic potential. The ground-state configurations and the normal-mode spectra of the system are obtained as a function of the periodicity and strength of the periodic potential (V0) and density. An interesting set of tunable ground-state configurations are found, with first- or second-order structural transitions between them. A configuration with particles aligned, perpendicular to the x direction, in each minimum of the periodic potential is obtained for V0 larger than some critical value that has a power-law dependence on the density. The phonon spectrum of different configurations was also calculated. A localization of the modes into a small frequency interval is observed for sufficiently large strength of the periodic potential, and a tunable gap in the phonon spectrum is found as a function of V0.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 9
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.83.094109
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“Flux-quantum-discretized dynamics of magnetic flux entry, exit, and annihilation in current-driven mesoscopic type-I superconductors”. Berdiyorov GR, Hernández-Nieves AD, Milošević, MV, Peeters FM, Dominguez D, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 85, 092502 (2012). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.092502
Abstract: We study nonlinear flux dynamics in a current-carrying type-I superconductor. The stray magnetic field of the current induces the intermediate state, where nucleation of flux domains is discretized to a single fluxoid at a time, while their final shape (tubular or laminar), size, and nucleation rate depend on applied current and edge conditions. The current induces opposite flux domains on opposite sides of the sample, and subsequently drives them to annihilation-which is also discretized, as a sequence of vortex-antivortex pairs. The discretization of both nucleation and annihilation leaves measurable traces in the voltage across the sample and in locally probed magnetization. The reported dynamic phenomena thus provide an unambiguous proof of a flux quantum being the smallest building block of the intermediate state in type-I superconductors.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 14
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.092502
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“Carbon clusters: from ring structures to nanographene”. Kosimov DP, Dzhurakhalov AA, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 81, 195414 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.81.195414
Abstract: The lowest-energy configurations of Cn(n≤55) clusters are obtained using the energy-minimization technique with the conjugate gradient method where a modified Brenner potential is invoked to describe the carbon and hydrocarbon interaction. We found that the ground-state configuration consists of a single ring for small number of C atoms and multiring structures are found with increasing n, which can be in planar, bowl-like or caplike form. Contrary to previous predictions, the binding energy Eb does not show even-odd oscillations and only small jumps are found in the Eb(n) curve as a consequence of specific types of edges or equivalently the number of secondary atoms. We found that hydrogenation of the edge atoms may change the ground-state configuration of the nanocluster. In both cases we determined the magic clusters. Special attention is paid to trigonal and hexagonal shaped carbon clusters and to clusters having a graphenelike configuration. Trigonal clusters are never the ground state while hexagonal-shaped clusters are only the ground state when they have zigzag edges.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 55
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.195414
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“Metallic nanograins : spatially nonuniform pairing induced by quantum confinement”. Croitoru MD, Shanenko AA, Kaun CC, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 83, 214509 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.214509
Abstract: It is well known that the formation of discrete electron levels strongly influences the pairing in metallic nanograins. Here, we focus on another effect of quantum confinement in superconducting grains that was not studied previously, i.e., spatially nonuniform pairing. This effect is very significant when single-electron levels form bunches and/or a kind of shell structure. We find that, in highly symmetric grains, the order parameter can exhibit variations with position by an order of magnitude. Nonuniform pairing is closely related to a quantum-confinement-induced modification of the pairing-interaction matrix elements and size-dependent pinning of the chemical potential to groups of degenerate or nearly degenerate levels. For illustrative purposes, we consider spherical metallic nanograins and also rectangular shapes. We show that the relevant matrix elements are, as a rule, enhanced in the presence of quantum confinement, which favors spatial variations of the order parameter, compensating the corresponding energy cost. The size-dependent pinning of the chemical potential further increases the spatial variation of the pair condensate. The role of nonuniform pairing is smaller in less symmetric confining geometries and/or in the presence of disorder. However, it always remains of importance when the energy spacing between discrete electron levels δ is approaching the scale of the bulk gap ΔB, i.e., δ>0.10.2 ΔB.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 23
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.83.214509
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“Vortex anomaly in low-dimensional fermionic condensates : quantum confinement breaks chirality”. Chen Y, Shanenko AA, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 054513 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.054513
Abstract: Chiral fermions are responsible for low-temperature properties of vortices in fermionic condensates, both superconducting (charged) and superfluid (neutral). One of the most striking consequences of this fact is that the core of a single-quantum vortex collapses at low temperatures, T -> 0 (i.e., the Kramer-Pesch effect for superconductors), due to the presence of chiral quasiparticles in the vortex-core region. We show that the situation changes drastically for fermionic condensates confined in quasi-one-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional geometries. Here quantum confinement breaks the chirality of in-core fermions. As a result, instead of the ultimate shrinking, the core of a single-quantum vortex extends at low temperatures, and the condensate profile surprisingly mimics the multiquantum vortex behavior. Our findings are relevant for nanoscale superconductors, such as recent metallic nanoislands on silicon, and also for ultracold superfluid Fermi gases in cigar-shaped and pancake-shaped atomic traps.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 5
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.054513
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“Geometry-induced localization of thermal fluctuations in ultrathin superconducting structures”. Pogosov WV, Misko VR, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 82, 054523 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.054523
Abstract: Thermal fluctuations of the order parameter in an ultrathin triangular-shaped superconducting structure are studied near Tc, in zero applied field. We find that the order parameter is prone to much larger fluctuations in the corners of the structure as compared to its interior. This geometry-induced localization of thermal fluctuations is attributed to the fact that condensate confinement in the corners is characterized by a lower effective dimensionality, which favors stronger fluctuations.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.054523
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“Kink-antikink vortex transfer in periodic-plus-random pinning potential : theoretical analysis and numerical experiments”. Pogosov WV, Zhao HJ, Misko VR, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 81 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.81.024513
Abstract: The influence of random pinning on the vortex dynamics in a periodic square potential under an external drive is investigated. Using numerical experiments and theoretical approach, we found several dynamical regimes of vortex motion that are different from the ones for a regular pinning potential. Vortex transfer is controlled by kinks and antikinks, which either pre-exist in the system or appear spontaneously in pairs and then propagate. When kinks and antikinks collide, they annihilate. We provide clear physical interpretations of the observed features.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 10
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.024513
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“Vortex quantum tunneling versus thermal activation in ultrathin superconducting nanoislands”. Pogosov WV, Misko VR, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 85, 224508 (2012). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.224508
Abstract: We consider two possible mechanisms for single-vortex fluctuative entry/exit through the surface barrier in ultrathin superconducting disk-shaped nanoislands made of Pb and consisting of just a few monoatomic layers, which can be fabricated using modern techniques. We estimate tunneling probabilities and establish criteria for the crossover between these two mechanisms depending on magnetic field and system sizes. For the case of vortex entry, quantum tunneling dominates on the major part of the temperature/flux phase diagram. For the case of vortex exit, thermal activation turns out to be more probable. This nontrivial result is due to the subtle balance between the barrier height and width, which determine rates of the thermal activation and quantum tunneling, respectively.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.224508
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“Ginzburg-Landau theory for multiband superconductors : microscopic derivation”. Orlova NV, Shanenko AA, Milošević, MV, Peeters FM, Vagov AV, Axt VM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 134510 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134510
Abstract: A procedure to derive the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory from the multiband BCS Hamiltonian is developed in a general case with an arbitrary number of bands and arbitrary interaction matrix. It combines the standard Gor'kov truncation and a subsequent reconstruction in order to match accuracies of the obtained terms. This reconstruction recovers the phenomenological GL theory as obtained from the Landau model of phase transitions but offers explicit microscopic expressions for the relevant parameters. Detailed calculations are presented for a three-band system treated as a prototype multiband superconductor. It is demonstrated that the symmetry in the coupling matrix may lead to the chiral ground state with the phase frustration, typical for systems with broken time-reversal symmetry. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134510
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 57
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134510
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“Enhancing the critical current in quasiperiodic pinning arrays below and above the matching magnetic flux”. Misko VR, Bothner D, Kemmler M, Kleiner R, Koelle D, Peeters FM, Nori F, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 82, 184512 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.184512
Abstract: Quasiperiodic pinning arrays, as recently demonstrated theoretically and experimentally using a fivefold Penrose tiling, can lead to a significant enhancement of the critical current Ic as compared to traditional regular pinning arrays. However, while regular arrays showed only a sharp peak in Ic(Φ) at the matching flux Φ1 and quasiperiodic arrays provided a much broader maximum at Φ<Φ1, both types of pinning arrays turned out to be inefficient for fluxes larger than Φ1. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally the enhancement of Ic(Φ) for Φ>Φ1 by using non-Penrose quasiperiodic pinning arrays. This result is based on a qualitatively different mechanism of flux pinning by quasiperiodic pinning arrays and could be potentially useful for applications in superconducting microelectronic devices operating in a broad range of magnetic fields.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 33
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.184512
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“Dynamics of multishell vortex structures in mesoscopic superconducting Corbino disks”. Lin NS, Misko VR, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 81, 134504 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.81.134504
Abstract: We study the dynamics of vortex shells in mesoscopic superconducting Corbino disks, where vortices form shells as recently observed in micrometer-sized Nb disks. Due to the interplay between the vortex-vortex interaction, the gradient Lorentz force and the (in)commensurability between the numbers of vortices in shells, the process of angular melting of vortex-shell configurations becomes complex. Angular melting can start either from the center of the disk (where the shear stress is maximum) or from its boundary (where the shear stress is minimum) depending on the specific vortex configuration. Furthermore, we found that two kinds of defects can exist in such vortex-shell structures: intrashell and intershell defects. An intrashell defect may lead to an inverse dynamic behavior, i.e., one of the vortex shells under a stronger driving force can rotate slower than the adjacent shell that is driven by a weaker Lorentz force. An intershell defect always locks more than two shells until the gradient of the Lorentz force becomes large enough to break the rigid-body rotation of the locked shells. Such a lock-unlock process leads to hysteresis in the angular velocities of the shells.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 11
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.134504
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“Fano resonances and electron spin transport through a two-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled quantum ring”. Nowak MP, Szafran B, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 84, 235319 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.235319
Abstract: Electron transport through a spin-orbit-coupled quantum ring is investigated within linear response theory. We show that the finite width of the ring results in the appearance of Fano resonances in the conductance. This turns out to be a consequence of the spin-orbit interaction that leads to a breaking of the parity of the states localized in the ring. The resonances appear when the system is close to maxima of Aharonov-Casher conductance oscillations where spin transfer is heavily modified. When the spin-orbit coupling strength is detuned from the Aharonov-Casher maxima the resonances are broadened resulting in a dependence of the spin transport on the electron Fermi energy in contrast to predictions from one-dimensional models.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 19
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.235319
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“Tuning of the two electron states in quantum rings through the spin-orbit interaction”. Liu Y, Cheng F, Li XJ, Peeters FM, Chang K, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 82, 1 (2010). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.045312
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.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 14
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.82.045312
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