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“Procedure to count atoms with trustworthy single-atom sensitivity”. Van Aert S, de Backer A, Martinez GT, Goris B, Bals S, Van Tendeloo G, Rosenauer A, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 064107 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.064107
Abstract: We report a method to reliably count the number of atoms from high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images. A model-based analysis of the experimental images is used to measure scattering cross sections at the atomic level. The high sensitivity of these measurements in combination with a thorough statistical analysis enables us to count atoms with single-atom sensitivity. The validity of the results is confirmed by means of detailed image simulations. We will show that the method can be applied to nanocrystals of arbitrary shape, size, and atom type without the need for a priori knowledge about the atomic structure.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 106
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.064107
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“Snake states in graphene quantum dots in the presence of a p-n junction”. Zarenia M, Pereira JM Jr, Peeters FM, Farias GA, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 035426 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.035426
Abstract: We investigate the magnetic interface states of graphene quantum dots that contain p-n junctions. Within a tight-binding approach, we consider rectangular quantum dots in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field containing p-n as well as p-n-p and n-p-n junctions. The results show the interplay between the edge states associated with the zigzag terminations of the sample and the snake states that arise at the p-n junction due to the overlap between electron and hole states at the potential interface. Remarkable localized states are found at the crossing of the p-n junction with the zigzag edge having a dumb-bell-shaped electron distribution. The results are presented as a function of the junction parameters and the applied magnetic flux. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.035426
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 16
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.035426
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“Soft vortex matter in a type-I/type-II superconducting bilayer”. Komendová, L, Milošević, MV, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 094515 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.094515
Abstract: Magnetic flux patterns are known to strongly differ in the intermediate state of type-I and type-II superconductors. Using a type-I/type-II bilayer we demonstrate hybridization of these flux phases into a plethora of unique new ones. Owing to a complicated multibody interaction between individual fluxoids, many different intriguing patterns are possible under applied magnetic field, such as few-vortex clusters, vortex chains, mazes, or labyrinthal structures resembling the phenomena readily encountered in soft-matter physics. However, in our system the patterns are tunable by sample parameters, magnetic field, current, and temperature, which reveals transitions from short-range clustering to long-range ordered phases such as parallel chains, gels, glasses, and crystalline vortex lattices, or phases where lamellar type-I flux domains in one layer serve as a bedding potential for type-II vortices in the other, configurations clearly beyond the soft-matter analogy.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 27
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.094515
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“Spin-orbit-interaction induced singularity of the charge density relaxation propagator”. Badalyan SM, Matos-Abiague A, Fabian J, Vignale G, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 195402 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.195402
Abstract: The charge density relaxation propagator of a two-dimensional electron system, which is the slope of the imaginary part of the polarization function, exhibits singularities for bosonic momenta having the order of the spin-orbit momentum and depending on the momentum orientation. We have provided an intuitive understanding for this nonanalytic behavior in terms of the interchirality subband electronic transitions, induced by the combined action of Bychkov-Rashba (BR) and Dresselhaus (D) spin-orbit coupling. It is shown that the regular behavior of the relaxation propagator is recovered in the presence of only one BR or D spin-orbit field or for spin-orbit interaction with equal BR and D coupling strengths. This creates a new possibility to influence carrier relaxation properties by means of an applied electric field.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.195402
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“Spiral graphone and one-sided fluorographene nanoribbons”. Neek-Amal M, Beheshtian J, Shayeganfar F, Singh SK, Los JH, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 075448 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075448
Abstract: The instability of a free-standing one-sided hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene nanoribbon, i.e., graphone/fluorographene, is studied using ab initio, semiempirical, and large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Free-standing semi-infinite armchairlike hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene (AC-GH/AC-GF) and boatlike hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene (B-GH/B-GF) (nanoribbons which are periodic along the zigzag direction) are unstable and spontaneously transform into spiral structures. We find that rolled, spiral B-GH and B-GF are energetically more favorable than spiral AC-GH and AC-GF which is opposite to the double-sided flat hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene, i.e., graphane/fluorographene. We found that the packed, spiral structures exhibit an unexpected localized highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest occupied molecular orbital at the edges with increasing energy gap during rolling. These rolled hydrocarbon structures are stable beyond room temperature up to at least T = 1000 K within our simulation time of 1 ns. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075448
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 14
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.075448
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“Stone-Wales defects in silicene : formation, stability, and reactivity of defect sites”. Sahin H, Sivek J, Li S, Partoens B, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 045434 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.045434
Abstract: During the synthesis of ultrathin materials with hexagonal lattice structure Stone-Wales (SW) type of defects are quite likely to be formed and the existence of such topological defects in the graphenelike structures results in dramatic changes of their electronic and mechanical properties. Here we investigate the formation and reactivity of such SW defects in silicene. We report the energy barrier for the formation of SW defects in freestanding (similar to 2.4 eV) and Ag(111)-supported (similar to 2.8 eV) silicene and found it to be significantly lower than in graphene (similar to 9.2 eV). Moreover, the buckled nature of silicene provides a large energy barrier for the healing of the SW defect and therefore defective silicene is stable even at high temperatures. Silicene with SW defects is semiconducting with a direct band gap of 0.02 eV and this value depends on the concentration of defects. Furthermore, nitrogen substitution in SW-defected silicene shows that the defect lattice sites are the least preferable substitution locations for the N atoms. Our findings show the easy formation of SW defects in silicene and also provide a guideline for band gap engineering in silicene-based materials through such defects.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 93
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.045434
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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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“Structural phase transition and spontaneous interface reconstruction in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3/BaTiO3 superlattices”. Turner S, Lebedev OI, Verbeeck J, Gehrke K, Moshnyaga V, Van Tendeloo G, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 035418 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.035418
Abstract: (La2/3Ca1/3MnO3)n/(BaTiO3)m (LCMOn/BTOm) superlattices on MgO and SrTiO3 substrates with different layer thicknesses (n = 10, 38, 40 and m = 5, 18, 20) have been grown by metal organic aerosol deposition (MAD) and have been fully characterized down to the atomic scale to study the interface characteristics. Scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy provides clear evidence for the existence of atomically sharp interfaces in MAD grown films, which exhibit epitaxial growth conditions, a uniform normal strain, and a fully oxidized state. Below a critical layer thickness the LCMO structure is found to change from the bulk Pnma symmetry to a pseudocubic R3̅ c symmetry. An atomically flat interface reconstruction consisting of a single Ca-rich atomic layer is observed on the compressively strained BTO on LCMO interface, which is thought to partially neutralize the total charge from the alternating polar atomic layers in LCMO as well as relieving strain at the interface. No interface reconstruction is observed at the tensile strained LCMO on BTO interface.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 12
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.035418
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“Synchronized dynamics of Josephson vortices in artificial stacks of SNS Josephson junctions under both dc and ac bias currents”. Berdiyorov GR, Savel'ev SE, Milošević, MV, Kusmartsev FV, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 184510 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.184510
Abstract: Nonlinear dynamics of Josephson vortices (fluxons) in artificial stacks of superconducting-normal-superconducting Josephson junctions under simultaneously applied time-periodic ac and constant biasing dc currents is studied using the time dependent Ginzburg-Landau formalism with a Lawrence-Doniach extension. At zero external magnetic field and dc biasing current the resistive state of the system is characterized by periodic nucleation and annihilation of fluxon-antifluxon pairs, relative positions of which are determined by the state of neighboring junctions. Due to the mutual repulsive interaction, fluxons in different junctions move out of phase. Their collective motion can be synchronized by adding a small ac component to the biasing dc current. Coherent motion of fluxons is observed for a broad frequency range of the applied drive. In the coherent state the maximal output voltage, which is proportional to the number of junctions in the stack, is observed near the characteristic frequency of the system determined by the crossing of the fluxons across the sample. However, in this frequency range the dynamically synchronized state has an alternative-a less ordered state with smaller amplitude of the output voltage. Collective behavior of the junctions is strongly affected by the sloped sidewalls of the stack. Synchronization is observed only for weakly trapezoidal cross sections, whereas irregular motion of fluxons is observed for larger slopes of the sample edge.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 10
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.184510
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“Thermal properties of fluorinated graphene”. Singh SK, Srinivasan SG, Neek-Amal M, Costamagna S, van Duin ACT, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 104114 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.104114
Abstract: Large-scale atomistic simulations using the reactive force field approach are implemented to investigate the thermomechanical properties of fluorinated graphene (FG). A set of parameters for the reactive force field potential optimized to reproduce key quantum mechanical properties of relevant carbon-fluorine cluster systems are presented. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the thermal rippling behavior of FG and its mechanical properties and compare them with graphene, graphane and a sheet of boron nitride. The mean square value of the height fluctuations < h(2)> and the height-height correlation function H(q) for different system sizes and temperatures show that FG is an unrippled system in contrast to the thermal rippling behavior of graphene. The effective Young's modulus of a flake of fluorinated graphene is obtained to be 273 N/m and 250 N/m for a flake of FG under uniaxial strain along armchair and zigzag directions, respectively. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.104114
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 80
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.104114
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“Thermodynamic properties of the electron gas in multilayer graphene in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field”. Van Duppen B, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 245429 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.245429
Abstract: The thermodynamic properties of the electron gas in multilayer graphene depend strongly on the number of layers and the type of stacking. Here we analyze how those properties change when we vary the number of layers for rhombohedral stacked multilayer graphene and compare our results with those from a conventional two-dimensional electron gas. We show that the highly degenerate zero-energy Landau level which is partly filled with electrons and partly with holes has a strong influence on the values of the different thermodynamic quantities.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.245429
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“Thermomechanical properties of a single hexagonal boron nitride sheet”. Singh SK, Neek-Amal M, Costamagna S, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 184106 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.184106
Abstract: Using atomistic simulations we investigate the thermodynamical properties of a single atomic layer of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). The thermal induced ripples, heat capacity, and thermal lattice expansion of large scale h-BN sheets are determined and compared to those found for graphene (GE) for temperatures up to 1000 K. By analyzing the mean-square height fluctuations < h(2)> and the height-height correlation function H(q) we found that the h-BN sheet is a less stiff material as compared to graphene. The bending rigidity of h-BN (i) is about 16% smaller than the one of GE at room temperature (300 K), and (ii) increases with temperature as in GE. The difference in stiffness between h-BN and GE results in unequal responses to external uniaxial and shear stress and different buckling transitions. In contrast to a GE sheet, the buckling transition of a h-BN sheet depends strongly on the direction of the applied compression. The molar heat capacity, thermal-expansion coefficient, and Gruneisen parameter are estimated to be 25.2 J mol(-1) K-1, 7.2 x 10(-6) K-1, and 0.89, respectively.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 80
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.184106
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“Tight-binding description of intrinsic superconducting correlations in multilayer graphene”. Muñoz WA, Covaci L, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 134509 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134509
Abstract: Using highly efficient GPU-based simulations of the tight-binding Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations we solve self-consistently for the pair correlation in rhombohedral (ABC) and Bernal (ABA) multilayer graphene by considering a finite intrinsic s-wave pairing potential. We find that the two different stacking configurations have opposite bulk/surface behavior for the order parameter. Surface superconductivity is robust for ABC stacked multilayer graphene even at very low pairing potentials for which the bulk order parameter vanishes, in agreement with a recent analytical approach. In contrast, for Bernal stacked multilayer graphene, we find that the order parameter is always suppressed at the surface and that there exists a critical value for the pairing potential below which no superconducting order is achieved. We considered different doping scenarios and find that homogeneous doping strongly suppresses surface superconductivity while nonhomogeneous field-induced doping has a much weaker effect on the superconducting order parameter. For multilayer structures with hybrid stacking (ABC and ABA) we find that when the thickness of each region is small (few layers), high-temperature surface superconductivity survives throughout the bulk due to the proximity effect between ABC/ABA interfaces where the order parameter is enhanced. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134509
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 37
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.134509
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“van der Waals bonding and the quasiparticle band structure of SnO from first principles”. Govaerts K, Saniz R, Partoens B, Lamoen D, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 87, 235210 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.235210
Abstract: In this work we have investigated the structural and electronic properties of SnO, which is built up from layers kept together by van der Waals (vdW) forces. The combination of a vdW functional within density functional theory (DFT) and quasiparticle band structure calculations within the GW approximation provides accurate values for the lattice parameters, atomic positions, and the electronic band structure including the fundamental (indirect) and the optical (direct) band gap without the need of experimental or empirical input. A systematic comparison is made between different levels of self-consistency within the GW approach {following the scheme of Shishkin et al. [Phys. Rev. B 75, 235102 (2007)]} and the results are compared with DFT and hybrid functional results. Furthermore, the effect of the vdW-corrected functional as a starting point for the GW calculation of the band gap has been investigated. Finally, we studied the effect of the vdW functional on the electron charge density.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 50
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.235210
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“Vortex states in nanoscale superconducting squares : the influence of quantum confinement”. Zhang L-F, Covaci L, Milošević, MV, Berdiyorov GR, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 144501 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.144501
Abstract: Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory is used to investigate the effect of the size of a superconducting square on the vortex states in the quantum confinement regime. When the superconducting coherence length is comparable to the Fermi wavelength, the shape resonances of the superconducting order parameter have strong influence on the vortex configuration. Several unconventional vortex states, including asymmetric ones, giant-multivortex combinations, and states comprising giant antivortices, were found as ground states and their stability was found to be very sensitive on the value of k(F)xi(0), the size of the sample W, and the magnetic flux Phi. By increasing the temperature and/or enlarging the size of the sample, quantum confinement is suppressed and the conventional mesoscopic vortex states as predicted by the Ginzburg-Laudau (GL) theory are recovered. However, contrary to the GL results we found that the states containing symmetry-induced vortex-antivortex pairs are stable over the whole temperature range. It turns out that the inhomogeneous order parameter induced by quantum confinement favors vortex-antivortex molecules, as well as giant vortices with a rich structure in the vortex core-unattainable in the GL domain.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 19
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.144501
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“Plasmons and their interaction with electrons in trilayer graphene”. Krstajić, PM, Van Duppen B, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 88, 195423 (2013). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.195423
Abstract: The interaction between electrons and plasmons in trilayer graphene is investigated within the Overhauser approach resulting in the “plasmaron” quasiparticle. This interaction is cast into a field theoretical problem, and its effect on the energy spectrum is calculated using improved Wigner-Brillouin perturbation theory. The plasmaron spectrum is shifted with respect to the bare electron spectrum by ΔE(k)∼150−200meV for ABC stacked trilayer graphene and for ABA trilayer graphene by ΔE(k)∼30−150 meV[ ΔE(k) ∼1 −5meV] for the hyperbolic (linear) part of the spectrum. The shift in general increases with the electron concentration and electron momentum. The dispersion of plasmarons is more pronounced in ABC stacked than in ABA stacked trilayer graphene, because of the different energy band structure and their different plasmon dispersion.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 10
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.195423
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“Adatoms and Anderson localization in graphene”. García JH, Uchoa B, Covaci L, Rappoport TG, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 085425 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.085425
Abstract: We address the nature of the disordered state that results from the adsorption of adatoms in graphene. For adatoms that sit at the center of the honeycomb plaquette, as in the case of most transition metals, we show that the ones that form a zero-energy resonant state lead to Anderson localization in the vicinity of the Dirac point. Among those, we show that there is a symmetry class of adatoms where Anderson localization is suppressed, leading to an exotic metallic state with large and rare charge droplets, that localizes only at the Dirac point. We identify the experimental conditions for the observation of the Anderson transition for adatoms in graphene.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 12
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.085425
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“Commensurate structural modulation in the charge- and orbitally ordered phase of the quadruple perovskite (NaMn3)Mn4O12”. Prodi A, Daoud-Aladine A, Gozzo F, Schmitt B, Lebedev O, Van Tendeloo G, Gilioli E, Bolzoni F, Aruga-Katori H, Takagi H, Marezio M, Gauzzi A;, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 180101 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.180101
Abstract: By means of synchrotron x-ray and electron diffraction, we studied the structural changes at the charge order transition T-CO = 176 K in the mixed-valence quadruple perovskite (NaMn3)Mn4O12. Below T-CO we find satellite peaks indicating a commensurate structural modulation with the same propagation vector q = ( 1/2,0,-1/2) of the CE magnetic structure that orders at low temperatures, similarly to the case of simple perovskites such as La0.5Ca0.5MnO3. In the present case, the modulated structure, together with the observation of a large entropy change at T-CO, gives evidence of a rare case of full Mn3+/Mn4+ charge and orbital order, consistent with the Goodenough-Kanamori model.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 11
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.180101
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“Competition between pure dephasing and photon losses in the dynamics of a dot-cavity system”. Vagov A, Glaessl M, Croitoru MD, Axt VM, Kuhn T, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 075309 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.075309
Abstract: We demonstrate that in quantum-dot cavity systems, the interplay between acoustic phonons and photon losses introduces novel features and characteristic dependencies in the system dynamics. In particular, the combined action of both dephasing mechanisms strongly affects the transition from the weak-to the strong-coupling regime as well as the shape of the spectral triplet that represents the quantum-dot occupation in Fourier space. The width of the central peak in the triplet is expected to decrease with rising temperature, while the widths and heights of the side peaks depend nonmonotonically on the dot-cavity coupling.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 11
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.075309
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“Dependence of the electronic and transport properties of metal-MoSe2 interfaces on contact structures”. Çakir D, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 245403 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.245403
Abstract: Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are considered as promising candidates for next generation of electronic and optoelectronic devices. To make use of these materials, for instance in field effect transistor applications, it is mandatory to know the detailed properties of contacts of such TMDs with metal electrodes. Here, we investigate the role of the contact structure on the electronic and transport properties of metal-MoSe2 interfaces. Two different contact types, namely face and edge contacts, are studied. We consider both low (Sc) and high (Au) work function metals in order to thoroughly elucidate the role of the metal work function and the type of metal. First principles plane wave calculations and transport calculations based on nonequilibrium Green's function formalism reveal that the contact type has a large impact on the electronic and transport properties of metal-MoSe2 interfaces. For the Sc electrode, the Schottky barrier heights are around 0.25 eV for face contact and bigger than 0.6 eV for edge contact. For the Au case, we calculate very similar barrier heights for both contact types with an average value of 0.5 eV. Furthermore, while the face contact is found to be highly advantageous as compared to the edge contact for the Sc electrode, the latter contact becomes a better choice for the Au electrode. Our findings provide guidelines for the fabrication of TMD-based devices.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 39
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.245403
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“Dynamics of current-driven phase-slip centers in superconducting strips”. Berdiyorov G, Harrabi K, Oktasendra F, Gasmi K, Mansour AI, Maneval JP, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 054506 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.054506
Abstract: Phase-slip centers/lines and hot spots are the main mechanisms for dissipation in current-carrying superconducting thin films. The pulsed-current method has recently been shown to be an effective tool in studying the dynamics of phase-slip centers and their evolution to hot spots. We use the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory in the study of the dynamics of the superconducting condensate in superconducting strips under external current and zero external magnetic field. We show that both the flux-flow state (i.e., slow-moving vortices) and the phase-slip line state (i.e., fast-moving vortices) are dynamically stable dissipative units with temperature smaller than the critical one, whereas hot spots, which are localized normal regions where the local temperature exceeds the critical value, expand in time, resulting ultimately in a complete destruction of the condensate. The response time of the system to abrupt switching on of the overcritical current decreases with increasing both the value of the current (at all temperatures) and temperature (for a given value of the applied current). Our results are in good qualitative agreement with experiments we have conducted on Nb thin strips.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 42
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.054506
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“Effect of Bi bilayers on the topological states of Bi2Se3 : a first-principles study”. Govaerts K, Park K, De Beule C, Partoens B, Lamoen D, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 155124 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.155124
Abstract: Bi2Se3 is a three-dimensional topological insulator which has been extensively studied because it has a single Dirac cone on the surface, inside a relatively large bulk band gap. However, the effect of two-dimensional topological insulator Bi bilayers on the properties of Bi2Se3 and vice versa, has not been explored much. Bi bilayers are often present between the quintuple layers of Bi2Se3, since (Bi2)n(Bi2Se3)m form stable ground-state structures. Moreover, Bi2Se3 is a good substrate for growing ultrathin Bi bilayers. By first-principles techniques, we first show that there is no preferable surface termination by either Bi or Se. Next, we investigate the electronic structure of Bi bilayers on top of, or inside a Bi2Se3 slab. If the Bi bilayers are on top, we observe a charge transfer to the quintuple layers that increases the binding energy of the surface Dirac cones. The extra states, originating from the Bi bilayers, were declared to form a topological Dirac cone, but here we show that these are ordinary Rashba-split states. This result, together with the appearance of a new Dirac cone that is localized slightly deeper, might necessitate the reinterpretation of several experimental results. When the Bi bilayers are located inside the Bi2Se3 slab, they tend to split the slab into two topological insulators with clear surface states. Interface states can also be observed, but an energy gap persists because of strong coupling between the neighboring quintuple layers and the Bi bilayers.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 30
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.155124
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“Electron energy and temperature relaxation in graphene on a piezoelectric substrate”. Zhang SH, Xu W, Peeters FM, Badalyan SM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 195409 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.195409
Abstract: We study the energy and temperature relaxation of electrons in graphene on a piezoelectric substrate. Scattering from the combined potential of extrinsic piezoelectric surface acoustical (PA) phonons of the substrate and intrinsic deformation acoustical phonons of graphene is considered for a (non) degenerate gas of Dirac fermions. It is shown that in the regime of low energies or temperatures the PA phonons dominate the relaxation and change qualitatively its character. This prediction is relevant for quantum metrology and electronic applications using graphene devices and suggests an experimental setup for probing electron-phonon coupling in graphene.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 18
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.195409
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“Formation and stability of point defects in monolayer rhenium disulfide”. Horzum S, Çakir D, Suh J, Tongay S, Huang Y-S, Ho C-H, Wu J, Sahin H, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 155433 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.155433
Abstract: Recently, rhenium disulfide (ReS2) monolayers were experimentally extracted by conventional mechanical exfoliation technique from as-grown ReS2 crystals. Unlike the well-known members of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), ReS2 crystallizes in a stable distorted-1T structure and lacks an indirect to direct gap crossover. Here we present an experimental and theoretical study of the formation, energetics, and stability of the most prominent lattice defects in monolayer ReS2. Experimentally, irradiation with 3-MeV He+2 ions was used to break the strong covalent bonds in ReS2 flakes. Photoluminescence measurements showed that the luminescence from monolayers is mostly unchanged after highly energetic a particle irradiation. In order to understand the energetics of possible vacancies in ReS2 we performed systematic first-principles calculations. Our calculations revealed that the formation of a single sulfur vacancy has the lowest formation energy in both Re and S rich conditions and a random distribution of such defects are energetically more preferable. Sulfur point defects do not result in any spin polarization whereas the creation of Re-containing point defects induce magnetization with a net magnetic moment of 1-3 mu B. Experimentally observed easy formation of sulfur vacancies is in good agreement with first-principles calculations.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 130
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.155433
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“Generic ordering of structural transitions in quasi-one-dimensional Wigner crystals”. Galvan-Moya JE, Misko VR, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 094111 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.094111
Abstract: We investigate the dependence of the structural phase transitions in an infinite quasi-one-dimensional system of repulsively interacting particles on the profile of the confining channel. Three different functional expressions for the confinement potential related to real experimental systems are used that can be tuned continuously from a parabolic to a hard-wall potential in order to find a thorough understanding of the ordering of the chainlike structure transitions. We resolve the long-standing issue why the most theories predicted a 1-2-4-3-4 sequence of chain configurations with increasing density, while some experiments found the 1-2-3-4 sequence.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 9
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.094111
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“Geometry and edge effects on the energy levels of graphene quantum rings : a comparison between tight-binding and simplified Dirac models”. da Costa DR, Chaves A, Zarenia M, Pereira JM, Farias GA, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 075418 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.075418
Abstract: We present a systematic study of the energy spectra of graphene quantum rings having different geometries and edge types in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field. Results are obtained within the tight-binding (TB) and Dirac models and we discuss which features of the former can be recovered by using the approximations imposed by the latter. Energy levels of graphene quantum rings obtained by diagonalizing the TB Hamiltonian are demonstrated to be strongly dependent on the rings geometry and the microscopical structure of the edges. This makes it difficult to recover those spectra by the existing theories that are based on the continuum (Dirac) model. Nevertheless, our results show that both approaches (i.e., TB and Dirac model) may provide similar results, but only for very specific combinations of ring geometry and edge types. The results obtained by a simplified model describing an infinitely thin circular Dirac ring show good agreement with those obtained for hexagonal and rhombus armchair graphene rings within the TB model. Moreover, we show that the energy levels of a circular quantum ring with an infinite mass boundary condition obtained within the Dirac model agree with those for a ring defined by a ring-shaped staggered potential obtained within the TB model.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 56
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.075418
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“Homologous series of layered structures in binary and ternary Bi-Sb-Te-Se systems : ab initio study”. Govaerts K, Sluiter MHF, Partoens B, Lamoen D, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 89, 054106 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.054106
Abstract: In order to account explicitly for the existence of long-periodic layered structures and the strong structural relaxations in the most common binary and ternary alloys of the Bi-Sb-Te-Se system, we have developed a one-dimensional cluster expansion (CE) based on first-principles electronic structure calculations, which accounts for the Bi and Sb bilayer formation. Excellent interlayer distances are obtained with a van der Waals density functional. It is shown that a CE solely based on pair interactions is sufficient to provide an accurate description of the ground-state energies of Bi-Sb-Te-Se binary and ternary systems without making the data set of ab initio calculated structures unreasonably large. For the binary alloys A1−xQx (A=Sb, Bi; Q=Te, Se), a ternary CE yields an almost continuous series of (meta)stable structures consisting of consecutive A bilayers next to consecutive A2Q3 for 0<x<0.6. For x>0.6, the binary alloy segregates into pure Q and A2Q3. The Bi-Sb system is described by a quaternary CE and is found to be an ideal solid solution stabilized by entropic effects at T≠0 K but with an ordered structure of alternating Bi and Sb layers for x=0.5 at T=0 K. A quintuple CE is used for the ternary Bi-Sb-Te system, where stable ternary layered compounds with an arbitrary stacking of Sb2Te3, Bi2Te3, and Te-Bi-Te-Sb-Te quintuple units are found, optionally separated by mixed Bi/Sb bilayers. Electronic properties of the stable compounds were studied taking spin-orbit coupling into account.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 5
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.054106
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“Integer and half-integer quantum Hall effect in silicene: Influence of an external electric field and impurities”. Shakouri K, Vasilopoulos P, Vargiamidis V, Peeters FM, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 235423 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.235423
Abstract: The influence of silicene's strong spin-orbit interaction and of an external electric field E-z on the transport coefficients are investigated in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field B. For finite E-z the spin and valley degeneracy of the Landau levels is lifted and leads to additional plateaus in the Hall conductivity, at half-integer values of 4e(2)/h, due to spin intra-Landau-level transitions that are absent in graphene. These plateaus are more sensitive to disorder and thermal broadening than the main plateaus, occurring at integral values of 4e(2)/h, when the Fermi level passes through the Landau levels. We also evaluate the Hall and longitudinal resistivities and critically contrast the results with those for graphene on a substrate.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 32
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.235423
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“Magnetoresistance in multilayer fullerene spin valves: A first-principles study”. Çakir D, Otalvaro DM, Brocks G, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 245404 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.245404
Abstract: Carbon-based molecular semiconductors are explored for application in spintronics because their small spinorbit coupling promises long spin lifetimes. We calculate the electronic transport from first principles through spin valves comprising bi-and tri-layers of the fullerene molecules C-60 and C-70, sandwiched between two Fe electrodes. The spin polarization of the current, and the magnetoresistance depend sensitively on the interactions at the interfaces between the molecules and the metal surfaces. They are much less affected by the thickness of the molecular layers. A high current polarization (CP > 90%) and magnetoresistance (MR > 100%) at small bias can be attained using C-70 layers. In contrast, the current polarization and the magnetoresistance at small bias are vanishingly small for C-60 layers. Exploiting a generalized Julliere model we can trace the differences in spin-dependent transport between C-60 and C-70 layers to differences between the molecule-metal interface states. These states also allow one to interpret the current polarization and the magnetoresistance as a function of the applied bias voltage.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 13
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.245404
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“Majorana fermion states and fractional flux periodicity in mesoscopic d-wave superconducting loops with spin-orbit interaction”. Zha G-Q, Covaci L, Peeters FM, Zhou S-P, Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics 90, 014522 (2014). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.014522
Abstract: We numerically investigate the spin-orbit (SO) coupling effect on the magnetic flux evolution of energy and supercurrent in mesoscopic d-wave superconducting loops by solving the spin-generalized Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations self-consistently. It is found that the energy spectrum splits when the SO interaction is involved and the Majorana zero mode can be realized in the [100] edges of square systems for an appropriate SO coupling strength. Superconducting phase transitions appear when the energy gap closes, accompanied by energy jumps between different energy parabolas in the ground state, which provides a possible mechanism to support fractional flux periodicity of supercurrent. Moreover, in the case of rectangular loops with SO coupling, the jumps of the ground-state energy gradually disappear by increasing the ratio of length to height of the sample, and a paramagnetic response with opposite direction of the screening current around zero flux value can occur in such systems.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 3.836
Times cited: 7
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.014522
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