345 research outputs found
Quantum transport through single-molecule junctions with orbital degeneracies
We consider electronic transport through a single-molecule junction where the
molecule has a degenerate spectrum. Unlike previous transport models, and
theories a rate-equations description is no longer possible, and the quantum
coherences between degenerate states have to be taken into account. We present
the derivation and application of a master equation that describes the system
in the weak-coupling limit and give an in-depth discussion of the parameter
regimes and the new phenomena due to coherent on-site dynamics
Numerical adiabatic potentials of orthorhombic Jahn-Teller effects retrieved from ultrasound attenuation experiments. Application to the SrF2:Cr crystal
A methodology is worked out to retrieve the numerical values of all the main
parameters of the six-dimensional adiabatic potential energy surface (APES) of
a polyatomic system with a quadratic T-term Jahn-Teller effect (JTE) from
ultrasound experiments. The method is based on a verified assumption that
ultrasound attenuation and speed encounter anomalies when the direction of
propa- gation and polarization of its wave of strain coincides with the
characteristic directions of symmetry breaking in the JTE. For the SrF2:Cr
crystal, employed as a basic example, we observed anomaly peaks in the
temperature dependence of attenuation of ultrasound at frequencies of 50-160
MHz in the temperature interval of 40-60 K for the wave propagating along the
[110] direction, for both the longitudinal and shear modes, the latter with two
polarizations along the [001] and [110] axes, respectively. We show that these
anomalies are due to the ultrasound relaxation by the system of non-interacting
Cr2+ JT centers with orthorhombic local distortions. The interpretation of the
ex- perimental findings is based on the T2g (eg +t2g) JTE problem including the
linear and quadratic terms of vibronic interactions in the Hamiltonian and the
same-symmetry modes reduced to one interaction mode. Combining the experimental
results with a theoretical analysis we show that on the complicated
six-dimensional APES of this system with three tetragonal, four trigonal, and
six orthorhombic extrema points, the latter are global minima, while the former
are saddle points, and we estimate numerically all the main parameters of this
surface, including the linear and quadratic vibronic coupling constants, the
primary force constants, the coordinates of all the extrema points and their
energies, the energy barrier between the orthorhombic minima, and the tunneling
splitting of the ground vibrational states.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Giant isotope effect and spin state transition induced by oxygen isotope exchange in (
We systematically investigate effect of oxygen isotope in
which shows a crossover with x from
ferromagnetic metal to the insulator with spin-state transition. A striking
feature is that effect of oxygen isotope on the ferromagnetic transition is
negligible in the metallic phase, while replacing with leads
to a giant up-shift of the spin-state transition temperature () in the
insulating phase, especially shifts from 36 to 54 K with isotope
component for the sample with x=0.175. A metal-insulator
transition is induced by oxygen isotope exchange in the sample x=0.172 being
close to the insulating phase. The contrasting behaviors observed in the two
phases can be well explained by occurrence of static Jahn-Teller distortions in
the insulating phase, while absence of them in the metallic phase.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
The role of nitrogen-related defects in high-k dielectric oxides: Density-functional studies
Using ab initio density-functional total energy and molecular-dynamics simulations, we study the effects of various forms of nitrogen postdeposition anneal(PDA) on the electric properties of hafnia in the context of its application as a gate dielectric in field-effect transistors. We consider the atomic structure and energetics of nitrogen-containing defects which can be formed during PDA in various N-based ambients: N2, N2+, N, NH3, NO, and N2O. We analyze the role of such defects in fixed charge accumulation, electron trapping, and in the growth of the interface SiO2 layer. We find that nitrogen anneal of the oxides leads to an effective immobilization of native defects such as oxygen vacancies and interstitial oxygen ions, which may inhibit the growth of a silica layer. However, nitrogen in any form is unlikely to significantly reduce the fixed charge in the dielectric.Peer reviewe
Field-induced level crossings in spin clusters: Thermodynamics and magneto-elastic instability
Quantum spin clusters with dominant antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange
interactions typically exhibit a sequence of field-induced level crossings in
the ground state as function of magnetic field. For fields near a level
crossing, the cluster can be approximated by a two-level Hamiltonian at low
temperatures. Perturbations, such as magnetic anisotropy or spin-phonon
coupling, sensitively affect the behavior at the level-crossing points. The
general two-level Hamiltonian of the spin system is derived in first-order
perturbation theory, and the thermodynamic functions magnetization, magnetic
torque, and magnetic specific heat are calculated. Then a magneto-elastic
coupling is introduced and the effective two-level Hamilitonian for the
spin-lattice system derived in the adiabatic approximation of the phonons. At
the level crossings the system becomes unconditionally unstable against lattice
distortions due to the effects of magnetic anisotropy. The resultant
magneto-elastic instabilities at the level crossings are discussed, as well as
the magnetic behavior.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, REVTEX
Low-energy excitations of a linearly Jahn-Teller coupled orbital quintet
The low-energy spectra of the single-mode h x (G+H) linear Jahn-Teller model
is studied by means of exact diagonalization. Both eigenenergies and
photoemission spectral intensities are computed. These spectra are useful to
understand the vibronic dynamics of icosahedral clusters with partly filled
orbital quintet molecular shells, for example C60 positive ions.Comment: 14 pages revte
Dissociative electron attachment to the H2O molecule. II. Nuclear dynamics on coupled electronic surfaces within the local complex potential model
We report the results of a first-principles study of dissociative electron
attachment to H2O. The cross sections are obtained from nuclear dynamics
calculations carried out in full dimensionality within the local complex
potential model by using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method.
The calculations employ our previously obtained global, complex-valued,
potential-energy surfaces for the three (doublet B1, doublet A1, and doublet
B2) electronic Feshbach resonances involved in this process. These three
metastable states of H2O- undergo several degeneracies, and we incorporate both
the Renner-Teller coupling between the B1 and A1 states as well as the conical
intersection between the A1 and B2 states into our treatment. The nuclear
dynamics are inherently multidimensional and involve branching between
different final product arrangements as well as extensive excitation of the
diatomic fragment. Our results successfully mirror the qualitative features of
the major fragment channels observed, but are less successful in reproducing
the available results for some of the minor channels. We comment on the
applicability of the local complex potential model to such a complicated
resonant system.Comment: Corrected version of Phys Rev A 75, 012711 (2007
Correlation between the nanoscale electrical and morphological properties of crystallized hafnium oxide-based metal oxide semiconductor structures
The relationship between electrical and structuralcharacteristics of polycrystalline HfO2films has been investigated by conductive atomic force microscopy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The results demonstrate that highly conductive and breakdown (BD) sites are concentrated mainly at the grain boundaries (GBs). Higher conductivity at the GBs is found to be related to their intrinsic electrical properties, while the positions of the electrical stress-induced BD sites correlate to the local thinning of the dielectric. The results indicate that variations in the local characteristics of the high-k film caused by its crystallization may have a strong impact on the electrical characteristics of high-k dielectric stacks
Role of Orbitals in the Physics of Correlated Electron Systems
Rich properties of systems with strongly correlated electrons, such as
transition metal oxides, is largely connected with an interplay of different
degrees of freedom in them: charge, spin, orbital ones, as well as crystal
lattice. Specific and often very important role is played by orbital degrees of
freedom. In this comment I will shortly summarize the main concepts and discuss
some of the well-known manifestations of orbital degrees of freedom, but will
mostly concentrate on a recent development in this field.Comment: To be published in "Comments on Solid State Physics", part of
"Physica Scripta
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