Abstract: This work compares the morphology of gold nanoparticles (NPs) produced at room temperature on single-crystalline (MgO nanocubes and plates) and amorphous (carbon/glass plates) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The results show that similar deposition and nucleation rates (>5×1013 cm−2 s−1) are achieved irrespective of the nature of the substrate. Instead, the shape of NPs is substrate dependent, i.e., quasispheres and faceted NPs in amorphous and single-crystalline substrates, respectively. The shape of the latter is octahedral for small NPs and truncated octahedral for large ones, with the degree of truncation being well explained using the Wulff-Kaichew theorem. Furthermore, epitaxial growth at room temperature is demonstrated for single-crystalline substrate. The large fraction of ions having energies higher than 200 eV and the large flux of species arriving to the substrate (1016 at. cm−2 s−1) involved in the PLD process are, respectively, found to be responsible for the high nucleation rates and epitaxial growth at room temperature.

Abstract: We report quenching of the Hall effect with increasing magnetic field confined in a micron-sized spot. Such fields were created by placing tall ferromagnetic pillars on top of a two-dimensional electron gas, which allowed us to achieve the field strength up to 0.4 T under the pillars in the absence of external field. The quenching is accompanied by an anomalous increase in resistance and occurs when the cyclotron diameter matches the size of the magnetic spot. The results are explained by a rapid increase in the number of electrons that are scattered or quasilocalized by the magnetic region.

Abstract: Antagonistic symmetries of superconducting polygons and their induced multivortex states in a homogeneous magnetic field may lead to the appearance of antivortices in the vicinity of the superconducting/normal-state boundary (where mesoscopic confinement is particularly strong). Resulting vortex-antivortex (V-Av) molecules match the sample symmetry but are extremely sensitive to defects and fluctuations and remain undetected experimentally. Here we show that V-Av states can reappear deep in the superconducting state due to an array of perforations in a polygonal setting, surrounding a central hole. Such states are no longer caused by the symmetry of the sample but rather by pinning itself, which prevents the vortex-antivortex annihilation. As a result, even micron size, clearly spaced V-Av molecules can be stabilized in large mesoscopic samples.

Abstract: The lowest energy electronic states of a donor located near a semiconductor-insulator-metal interface are investigated within the effective mass approach. The effect of the finite thickness of the insulator between the semiconductor and the metallic gate on the energy levels is studied. The lowest energy states are obtained through a variational approach, which takes into account the influence of all image charges that arise due to the presence of the metallic and the dielectric interfaces. We compare our results with a numerical exact calculation using the finite element technique.

Abstract: We present a comprehensive study of the crystal structure, magnetic structure, and microscopic magnetic model of (CuBr)LaNb2O7, the Br analog of the spin-gap quantum magnet (CuCl) LaNb2O7. Despite similar crystal structures and spin lattices, the magnetic behavior and even peculiarities of the atomic arrangement in the Cl and Br compounds are very different. The high- resolution x-ray and neutron data reveal a split position of Br atoms in (CuBr) LaNb2O7. This splitting originates from two possible configurations developed by [CuBr] zigzag ribbons. While the Br atoms are locally ordered in the ab plane, their arrangement along the c direction remains partially disordered. The predominant and energetically more favorable configuration features an additional doubling of the c lattice parameter that was not observed in (CuCl) LaNb2O7. (CuBr) LaNb2O7 undergoes long-range antiferromagnetic ordering at T-N = 32 K, which is nearly 70% of the leading exchange coupling J4 similar or equal to 48 K. The Br compound does not show any experimental signatures of low-dimensional magnetism because the underlying spin lattice is three-dimensional. The coupling along the c direction is comparable to the couplings in the ab plane, even though the shortest Cu-Cu distance along c (11.69 angstrom) is three times larger than nearest-neighbor distances in the ab plane (3.55 angstrom). The stripe antiferromagnetic long-range order featuring columns of parallel spins in the ab plane and antiparallel spins along c is verified experimentally and confirmed by the microscopic analysis.

Abstract: The effect of the size of the GaAs barrier and the Ga1−xInxAs well on the structural properties of a Ga1−xInxAs/GaAs multiple quantum well structure is investigated using the Metropolis Monte Carlo approach based on a well-parametrized Tersoff potential. It is found that within the well the Ga-As and In-As bond lengths undergo contractions whose magnitude increases with increasing In content in sharp contrast with bond-length variations in the bulk Ga1−xInxAs systems. For fixed barrier size and In content, the contraction of the bonds is also found to increase with increasing size of the well. Using the local atomic structure of the heterostructures, a more local analysis of the strain state of the systems is given and comparison with the prediction of macroscopic continuum elasticity theory shows deviations from the latter.

Abstract: Ballistic spin transport through waveguides, with symmetric or asymmetric double stubs attached to them periodically, is studied systematically in the presence of a weak spin-orbit coupling that makes the electrons precess. By an appropriate choice of the waveguide length and of the stub parameters injected spin-polarized electrons can be blocked completely and the transmission shows a periodic and nearly-square-type behavior, with values 1 and 0, with wide gaps when only one mode is allowed to propagate in the waveguide. A similar behavior is possible for a certain range of the stub parameters even when two modes can propagate in the waveguide and the conductance is doubled. Such a structure is a good candidate for establishing a realistic spin transistor. A further modulation of the spin current can be achieved by inserting defects in a finite-number stub superlattice. Finite-temperature effects on the spin conductance are also considered.

Abstract: Tunneling of holes through a trilayer structure made of two diluted magnetic semiconductors, (Ga,Mn)As, separated by a thin layer of nonmagnetic AlAs is investigated. The problem is treated within the 6x6 Luttinger-Kohn model for valence bands with the split-off band included. The influence of the spin-orbit coupling is pronounced as the spin-splitting Delta(ex) is comparable with the split-off Delta(SO) splitting. It is assumed that direct tunneling is the dominant mechanism due to the high quality of the tunnel junctions. Our theoretical results predict the correct order of magnitude for the tunneling magnetoresistance ratio, but various other effects, such as scattering on impurities and defects, should be included in order to realize a quantitative agreement with experiment.