Abstract: Intraband cyclotron resonance (CR) transitions of a two-electron quantum dot containing a single magnetic ion is investigated for different Coulomb interaction strengths and different positions of the magnetic ion. In contrast to the usual parabolic quantum dots where CR is independent of the number of electrons, we found here that due to the presence of the magnetic ion Kohn's theorem no longer holds and CR is different for systems with different number of electrons and different effective electron-electron Coulomb interaction strength. Many-body effects result in shifts in the transition energies and change the number of CR lines. The position of the magnetic ion inside the quantum dot affects the structure of the CR spectrum by changing the position and the number of crossings and anticrossings in the transition energies and oscillator strengths.

Abstract: The ground states of a few electrons confined in two vertically coupled quantum rings in the presence of an external magnetic field are studied systematically within the current spin-density functional theory. Electron-electron interactions combined with inter-ring tunneling affect the electronic structure and the persistent current. For small values of the external magnetic field, we recover the zero magnetic field molecular quantum ring ground state configurations. Increasing the magnetic field many angular momentum, spin, and isospin transitions are predicted to occur in the ground state. We show that these transitions follow certain rules, which are governed by the parity of the number of electrons, the single-particle picture, Hunds rules, and many-body effects.

Abstract: The strength of the (Rashba-type) spin-orbit coupling in mesoscopic semiconductor rings can be tuned with external gate voltages. Here we consider the case of a periodically changing spin-orbit interaction strength in time as induced by sinusoidal voltages. In a closed one dimensional quantum ring with weak spin-orbit coupling, Rabi oscillations are shown to appear. We find that the time evolution of initially localized wave packets exhibits a series of collapse and revival phenomena. Partial revivalsthat are typical in nonlinear systemsare shown to correspond to superpositions of states localized at different spatial positions along the ring. These spintronic Schrödinger-cat states appear periodically, and similarly to their counterparts in other physical systems, they are found to be sensitive to disturbances caused by the environment. The time-dependent spin transport problem, when leads are attached to the ring, is also solved. We show that the sideband currents induced by the oscillating spin-orbit interaction strength can become the dominant output channel, even in the presence of moderate thermal fluctuations and random scattering events.

Abstract: We present comprehensive calculations of the low-field hole mobility in Ge p-channel inversion layers with SiO2 insulator using a six-band k·p band-structure model. The cases of relaxed, biaxially, and uniaxially (both tensily and compressively) strained Ge are studied employing an efficient self-consistent methodmaking use of a nonuniform spatial mesh and of the Broyden second methodto solve the coupled envelope-wave function k·p and Poisson equations. The hole mobility is computed using the KuboGreenwood formalism accounting for nonpolar hole-phonon scattering and scattering with interfacial roughness. Different approximations to handle dielectric screening are also investigated. As our main result, we find a large enhancement (up to a factor of 10 with respect to Si) of the mobility in the case of uniaxial compressive stress similarly to the well-known case of Si. Comparison with experimental data shows overall qualitative agreement but with significant deviations due mainly to the unknown morphology of the rough Ge-insulator interface, to additional scattering with surface optical phonon from the high- insulator, to Coulomb scattering interface traps or oxide chargesignored in our calculationsand to different channel structures employed.

Abstract: We show by extensive numerical simulations, that far-from-equilibrium experiments on dusty plasmas and on dipole particles in a circular cavity are good candidates for the verification of the Jarzynski equality, the Crooks relation and, to a lesser extent, of the recently obtained microscopic expression for the dissipated work.

Abstract: It is known that a perpendicular electric field applied to multilayers of graphene modifies the electronic structure near the K point and may induce an energy gap in the electronic spectrum which is tunable by the gate voltage. Here we consider a system of graphene multilayers in the presence of a positively charged top and a negatively charged back gate to control independently the density of electrons on the graphene layers and the Fermi energy of the system. The band structure of three- and four-layer graphene systems in the presence of the top and back gates is obtained using a tight-binding approach. A self-consistent Hartree approximation is used to calculate the induced charges on the different graphene layers. We predict that for opposite and equal charges on the top and bottom layers an energy gap is opened at the Fermi level. For an even number of layers this gap is larger than in the case of an odd number of graphene layers. We find that the circular asymmetry of the spectrum, which is a consequence of the trigonal warping, changes the size of the induced electronic gap, even when the total density of the induced electrons on the graphene layers is low.

Abstract: For many decades the Boltzmann distribution function has been used to calculate the non-equilibrium properties of mobile particles undergoing the combined action of various scattering mechanisms and externally applied force fields. When the latter give rise to the occurrence of inhomogeneous potential profiles across the region through which the particles are moving, the numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation becomes a highly complicated task. In this work we highlight a particular algorithm that can be used to solve the time dependent Boltzmann equation as well as its quantum mechanical extension, the WignerBoltzmann equation. As an illustration, we show the calculated distribution function describing electrons propagating under the action of both a uniform and a pronouncedly non-uniform electric field.

Abstract: We have used scanning Hall probe and local Hall magnetometry measurements to map flux profiles in superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ disks whose diameters span the crossover between the bulk and mesoscopic vortex regimes. The behaviour of large disks (greater-or-equal, slanted20 μm diameter) is well described by analytic models that assume a continuous distribution of flux in the sample. Small disks (less-than-or-equals, slant10 μm diameter), on the other hand, exhibit clear signatures of the underlying discrete vortex structure as well as competition between triangular Abrikosov ordering and the formation of shell structures driven by interactions with circulating edge currents. At low fields we are able to directly observe the characteristic mesoscopic compression of vortex clusters which is linked to oscillations in the diameter of the vortex dome in increasing magnetic fields. At higher fields, where single vortex resolution is lost, we are still able to track configurational changes in the vortex patterns, since competing vortex orders impose unmistakable signatures on local magnetisation curves. Our observations are in excellent agreement with molecular-dynamics numerical simulations which lead us to a natural definition of the lengthscale for the crossover between discrete and continuum behaviour in our system.

Abstract: The transmission T and conductance G through one or multiple one-dimensional, ä-function barriers of two-dimensional fermions with a linear energy spectrum are studied. T and G are periodic functions of the strength P of the ä-function barrier V(x,y)/ℏvF=Pä(x). The dispersion relation of a Kronig-Penney (KP) model of a superlattice is also a periodic function of P and causes collimation of an incident electron beam for P=2ðn and n integer. For a KP superlattice with alternating sign of the height of the barriers the Dirac point becomes a Dirac line for P=(n+1/2)ð.

Abstract: We perform strategic current injection in a small mesoscopic superconductor and control the (non)equilibrium quantum states in an applied homogeneous magnetic field. In doing so, we realize a current-driven splitting of multiquanta vortices, current-induced transitions between states with different angular momenta, and current-controlled switching between otherwise degenerate quantum states. These fundamental phenomena form the basis for the electronic and logic applications discussed, and are confirmed in both theoretical simulations and multiple-small-tunnel-junction transport measurements.

Abstract: We performed ab initio density-functional theory calculations to investigate the process of hydrogenation of a bilayer of graphene. 50% hydrogen coverage is possible in case that the hydrogen atoms are allowed to adsorb on both sides of the bilayer. In this case interlayer chemical bonding occurs which stabilizes the structure. At maximum coverage, a bilayer of graphane is formed which has properties that are similar to those of a single layer of graphane.

Abstract: Intermediate-state flux structures in mesoscopic type-I superconductors are studied within the Ginzburg-Landau theory. In addition to well-established tubular and laminar structures, the strong confinement leads to the formation of (i) a phase of singly quantized vortices, which is typical for type-II superconductors and (ii) a ring of a normal domain at equilibrium. The stability region and the formation process of these intermediate-state structures are strongly influenced by the geometry of the sample.

Abstract: We evaluate the transmission through magnetic barriers in graphene-based nanostructures. Several particular cases are considered: a magnetic step, single and double barriers, delta -function barriers as well as barrier structures with inhomogeneous magnetic field profiles but with average magnetic field equal to zero. The transmission exhibits a strong dependence on the direction of the incident wave vector. In general the resonant structure of the transmission is significantly more pronounced for (Dirac) electrons with linear spectrum compared to that for electrons with a parabolic one.

Abstract: We study single-electron-elastic-resonant-tunneling through two weakly coupled vertical quantum dots and investigate the branch current behavior at anti-crossings between two single-particle energy levels in the constituent dot spectra that are induced to approach each other by application of an out-of-dot-plane magnetic field. We observe both the familiar case of monotonic transfer of the resonant current strengths between the two branches as well as the less familiar case of concurrent enhancement and suppression (ideally complete cancellation) of the resonant current in the two branches. These two situations can be explained in terms of a simple coherent tunneling model. ©2009 American Institute of Physics

Abstract: We study the structural phase transitions in confined systems of strongly interacting particles. We consider infinite quasi-one-dimensional systems with different pairwise repulsive interactions in the presence of an external confinement following a power law. Within the framework of Landaus theory, we find the necessary conditions to observe continuous transitions and demonstrate that the only allowed continuous transition is between the single- and the double-chain configurations and that it only takes place when the confinement is parabolic. We determine analytically the behavior of the system at the transition point and calculate the critical exponents. Furthermore, we perform Monte Carlo simulations and find a perfect agreement between theory and numerics.