37 research outputs found
Surface acoustic wave investigations of the metal-to-insulator transition of V2O3 thin films on lithium niobate
Thin V2O3 films were deposited on a piezoelectric substrate by electron-beam
evaporation. Surface acoustic waves (SAW) were generated by
interdigital-transducers (IDTs). The attenuation and sound velocity was
investigated from 260K to 10K, providing an insight into the temperature
dependent electrical, dielectrical and elastic properties of V2O3 at the metal
to insulator transition.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Optical constants of Cu2ZnGeS4 bulk crystals
The dielectric functions of Cu2 ZnGeS4 bulk crystals grown by the Bridgman method were measured over the energy range 1.4 to 4.7 eV at room temperature using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The observed structures in the dielectric functions were adjusted using the Adachi's model and attributed to interband transitions E0, E1A, and E1B at :(000), N (A):2π /a (0.5 0.5 0.5), and T (Z):2π /a (0 0 0.5) points of the first Brillouin zone, respectively. The model parameters (threshold energy, strength, and broadening) have been determined using the simulated annealing algorithm. The decrease in the first gap, E0, has been attributed to a higher Ge-S hybridization. The spectral dependence of the complex refractive index, the absorption coefficient, and the normal-incidence reflectivity were also derived. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe
Non-uniform carrier density in CdAs evidenced by optical spectroscopy
We report the detailed optical properties of CdAs crystals in a wide
parameter space: temperature, magnetic field, carrier concentration and crystal
orientation. We investigate high-quality crystals synthesized by three
different techniques. In all the studied samples, independently of how they
were prepared and how they were treated before the optical experiments, our
data indicate conspicuous fluctuations in the carrier density (up to 30%).
These charge puddles have a characteristic scale of 100 m, they become
more pronounced at low temperatures, and possibly, they become enhanced by the
presence of crystal twinning. The Drude response is characterized by very small
scattering rates ( meV) for as-grown samples. Mechanical treatment,
such as cutting or polishing, influences the optical properties of single
crystals, by increasing the Drude scattering rate and also modifying the high
frequency optical response. Magneto-reflectivity and Kerr rotation are
consistent with electron-like charge carriers and a spatially non-uniform
carrier density.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review
Magneto-optical signature of massless Kane electrons in Cd3As2
We report on optical reflectivity experiments performed on Cd3As2 over a
broad range of photon energies and magnetic fields. The observed response
clearly indicates the presence of 3D massless charge carriers. The specific
cyclotron resonance absorption in the quantum limit implies that we are probing
massless Kane electrons rather than symmetry-protected 3D Dirac particles. The
latter may appear at a smaller energy scale and are not directly observed in
our infrared experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures + supplementary materials (17 pages), to be
published in Phys. Rev. Let
Spectroscopic ellipsometry study of Cu2ZnSnSe4 bulk crystals
Using spectroscopic ellipsometry we investigated and analyzed the pseudo-optical constants of Cu2ZnSnSe4 bulk crystals, grown by the Bridgman method, over 0.8-4.5 eV photon energy range. The structures found in the spectra of the complex pseudodielectric functions were associated to E0, E1A, and E1B interband transitions and were analyzed in frame of the Adachi's model. The interband transition parameters such as strength, threshold energy, and broadening were evaluated by using the simulated annealing algorithm. In addition, the pseudo-complex refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient, and normal-incidence reflectivity were derived over 0.8-4.5 eV photon energy rang
Energy scale of Dirac electrons in Cd3As2
Cadmium arsenide (Cd3As2) has recently became conspicuous in solid-state physics due to several reports proposing that it hosts a pair of symmetry-protected 3D Dirac cones. Despite vast investigations, a solid experimental insight into the band structure of this material is still missing. Here we fill one of the existing gaps in our understanding of Cd3As2, and based on our Landau-level spectroscopy study, we provide an estimate for the energy scale of 3D Dirac electrons in this system. We find that the appearance of such charge carriers is limited-contrary to a widespread belief in the solid-state community-to a relatively small energy scale (below 40 meV)
Evidence for short range orbital order in paramagnetic insulating (Al,V)_2O_3
The local structure of (Al_0.06V_0.94)_2O_3 in the paramagnetic insulating
(PI) and antiferromagnetically ordered insulating (AFI) phase has been
investigated using hard and soft x-ray absorption techniques. It is shown that:
1) on a local scale, the symmetry of the vanadium sites in both the PI and the
AFI phase is the same; and 2) the vanadium 3d - oxygen 2p hybridization, as
gauged by the oxygen 1s absorption edge, is the same for both phases, but
distinctly different from the paramagnetic metallic phase of pure V_2O_3. These
findings can be understood in the context of a recently proposed model which
relates the long range monoclinic distortion of the antiferromagnetically
ordered state to orbital ordering, if orbital short range order in the PI phase
is assumed. The measured anisotropy of the x-ray absorption spectra is
discussed in relation to spin-polarized density functional calculations.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Directly photoexcited Dirac and Weyl fermions in ZrSiS and NbAs
We report ultrafast optical measurements of the Dirac line-node semimetal ZrSiS and the Weyl semimetal NbAs, using mid-infrared pump photons from 86 meV to 500 meV to directly excite Dirac and Weyl fermions within the linearly dispersing bands. In NbAs, the photoexcited Weyl fermions initially form a non-thermal distribution, signified by a brief spike in the differential reflectivity whose sign is controlled by the relative energy of the pump and probe photons. In ZrSiS, electron-electron scattering rapidly thermalizes the electrons, and the spike is not observed. Subsequently, hot carriers in both materials cool within a few picoseconds. This cooling, as seen in the two materials’ differential reflectivity, differs in sign, shape, and timescale. Nonetheless, we find that it may be described in a simple model of thermal electrons, without free parameters. The electronic cooling in ZrSiS is particularly fast, which may make the material useful for optoelectronic applications
Modeling the optical constants of Cu2 In4 Se 7 and Cu Ga3 Se5 crystals
Spectral dependence of the pseudodielectric function ε (E) = ε1 (E) +i ε2 (E) as well as of the complex refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient, and normal-incidence reflectivity of Cu2 In4 Se7 and Cu Ga3 Se5 ordered vacancy compound crystals are modeled in the 0.8-4.4 eV photon energy range using a modification of Adachi's model [T. Kawashima J. Appl. Phys. 84, 5202 (1998)] for optical properties of semiconductors. Model parameters are determined using the acceptance- probability-controlled simulated annealing method. Excellent agreement with experimental data is obtained; the relative errors for the real ε1 and for imaginary ε2 part of the dielectric function are equal to 0.9%-1.5% and 3.2%-4.1% for the studied compounds. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe