Abstract: The Tomasch effect (TE) is due to quasiparticle interference (QPI) as induced by a nonuniform superconducting order parameter, which results in oscillations in the density of states (DOS) at energies above the superconducting gap. Quantum confinement in nanoscale superconductors leads to an inhomogenerous distribution of the Cooperpair condensate, which, as we found, triggers the manifestation of a new TE. We investigate the electronic structure of nanoscale superconductors by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) equations self-consistently and describe the TE determined by two types of processes, involving two-or three-subband QPIs. Both types of QPIs result in additional BCS-like Bogoliubov-quasiparticles and BCS-like energy gaps leading to oscillations in the DOS and modulated wave patterns in the local density of states. These effects are strongly related to the symmetries of the system. A reduced 4 x 4 inter-subband BdG Hamiltonian is established in order to describe analytically the TE of two-subband QPIs. Our study is relevant to nanoscale superconductors, either nanowires or thin films, Bose-Einsten condensates, and confined systems such as two-dimensional electron gas interface superconductivity.

Abstract: We investigate the effect of an external magnetic field on the carrier states that are localized at a potential kink and a kink-antikink in bilayer graphene. These chiral states are localized at the interface between two potential regions with opposite signs.

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.

Abstract: The photothermoelectric effect in topological insulator Bi2Se3 nanoribbons is studied. The topological surface states are excited to be spin-polarized by circularly polarized light. Because the direction of the electron spin is locked to its momentum for the spin-helical surface states, the photothermoelectric effect is significantly enhanced as the oriented motions of the polarized spins are accelerated by the temperature gradient. The results are explained based on the microscopic mechanisms of a photon induced spin transition from the surface Dirac cone to the bulk conduction band. The as-reported enhanced photothermoelectric effect is expected to have potential applications in a spin-polarized power source.

Abstract: The anion-deficient perovskite 4H-BaMnO2+x has been obtained by a topotactic reduction, with LiH, of the hexagonal perovskite 4H-BaMnO3−x. The crystal structure of 4H-BaMnO2+x was solved using electron diffraction and X-ray powder diffraction and further refined using neutron powder diffraction (S.G. Pnma, a = 10.375(2) Å, b = 9.466(2) Å, c = 11.276(3) Å, at 373 K). The orthorhombic superstructure arises from the ordering of oxygen vacancies within a 4H (chch) stacking of close packed c-type BaO2.5 and h-type BaO1.5 layers. The ordering of the oxygen vacancies transforms the Mn2O9 units of face-sharing MnO6 octahedra into Mn2O7 (two corner-sharing tetrahedra) and Mn2O6 (two edge-sharing tetrahedra) groups. The Mn2O7 and Mn2O6 groups are linked by corner-sharing into a three-dimensional framework. The structures of the BaO2.5 and BaO1.5 layers are different from those observed previously in anion-deficient perovskites providing a new type of order pattern of oxygen atoms and vacancies in close packed structures. Magnetization measurements and neutron diffraction data reveal 4H-BaMnO2+x adopts an antiferromagnetically ordered state below TN ≈ 350 K.

Abstract: Multifunctional pillared materials are synthesized by the intercalation of cage-shaped adamantylamine (ADMA) molecules into the interlayer space of graphite oxide (GO) and aluminosilicate clays. The physicochemical and structural properties of these hybrids, determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman and X-ray photoemission (XPS) spectroscopies and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that they can serve as tunable hydrophobic/hydrophilic and stereospecific nanotemplates. Thus, in ADMA-pillared clay hybrids, the phyllomorphous clay provides a hydrophilic nanoenvironment where the local hydrophobicity is modulated by the presence of ADMA moieties. On the other hand, in the ADMA-GO hybrid, both the aromatic rings of GO sheets and the ADMA molecules define a hydrophobic nanoenvironment where sp(3)-oxo moieties (epoxy, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups), present on GO, modulate hydrophilicity. As test applications, these pillared nanostructures are capable of selective/stereospecific trapping of small chlorophenols or can act as cytotoxic agents.

Abstract: Sensitive multi-element analysis techniques were applied to water samples collected in the vicinity of a small Zn-Pb-Cu sulfide mineralization in the region of Menez-Albot (Finistère, France). The variation of the trace-element content along a local stream shows the presence of the mineralization, mainly through a simultaneous positive anomaly in solution for a group of about 10 elements (e.g. Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sb) which are connected with this type of mineralization. The anomaly decreases steeply due to the influx of swamp water rich in Fe, Mn and organic matter. The precipitation barrier is reflected in the stream sediment composition. Contamination from fertilizers was observed in some samples.

Abstract: Diffusive properties of a monodisperse system of interacting particles confined to a quasi-one-dimensional channel are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. We calculate numerically the mean-squared displacement (MSD) and investigate the influence of the width of the channel (or the strength of the confinement potential) on diffusion in finite-size channels of different shapes (i.e., straight and circular). The transition from single-file diffusion to the two-dimensional diffusion regime is investigated. This transition [ regarding the calculation of the scaling exponent (alpha) of the MSD <Delta x(2)(t)> proportional to t(alpha)] as a function of the width of the channel is shown to change depending on the channel's confinement profile. In particular, the transition can be either smooth (i.e., for a parabolic confinement potential) or rather sharp (i.e., for a hard-wall potential), as distinct from infinite channels where this transition is abrupt. This result can be explained by qualitatively different distributions of the particle density for the different confinement potentials.