Fingerprints of a position-dependent Fermi velocity on scanning tunnelling spectra of strained graphene

Nonuniform strain in graphene induces a position dependence of the Fermi velocity, as recently demonstrated by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy experiments. In this work, we study the effects of a position-dependent Fermi velocity on the local density of states (LDOS) of strained graphene, without and with the presence of a uniform magnetic field. The variation of LDOS obtained from tight-binding calculations is successfully explained by analytical expressions derived within the Dirac approach. These expressions also rectify a rough Fermi velocity substitution used in the literature that neglects the strain-induced anisotropy. The reported analytical results could be useful for understanding the nonuniform strain effects on scanning tunnelling spectra of graphene, as well as when it is exposed to an external magnetic field.Comment: Revised version as published in JPC

Theory of Raman Scattering by Phonons in Germanium Nanostructures

Within the linear response theory, a local bond-polarization model based on the displacement–displacement Green’s function and the Born potential including central and non-central interatomic forces is used to investigate the Raman response and the phonon band structure of Ge nanostructures. In particular, a supercell model is employed, in which along the [001] direction empty-column pores and nanowires are constructed preserving the crystalline Ge atomic structure. An advantage of this model is the interconnection between Ge nanocrystals in porous Ge and then, all the phonon states are delocalized. The results of both porous Ge and nanowires show a shift of the highest-energy Raman peak toward lower frequencies with respect to the Raman response of bulk crystalline Ge. This fact could be related to the confinement of phonons and is in good agreement with the experimental data. Finally, a detailed discussion of the dynamical matrix is given in the appendix section

Oxygen Absorption in Free-Standing Porous Silicon: A Structural, Optical and Kinetic Analysis

Porous silicon (PSi) is a nanostructured material possessing a huge surface area per unit volume. In consequence, the adsorption and diffusion of oxygen in PSi are particularly important phenomena and frequently cause significant changes in its properties. In this paper, we study the thermal oxidation of p+-type free-standing PSi fabricated by anodic electrochemical etching. These free-standing samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, thermogravimetry, atomic force microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. The results show a structural phase transition from crystalline silicon to a combination of cristobalite and quartz, passing through amorphous silicon and amorphous silicon-oxide structures, when the thermal oxidation temperature increases from 400 to 900 °C. Moreover, we observe some evidence of a sinterization at 400 °C and an optimal oxygen-absorption temperature about 700 °C. Finally, the UV/Visible spectrophotometry reveals a red and a blue shift of the optical transmittance spectra for samples with oxidation temperatures lower and higher than 700 °C, respectively

Coarse-Grained Quantum Theory of Organic Photovoltaic Devices

Understanding the exciton dissociation process in organic solar cells is a fundamental issue for the design of high-performance photovoltaic devices. In this article, a parameterized quantum theory based on a coarse-grained tight-binding model plus non-local electron-hole interactions is presented, while the diffusion and recombination of excitons are studied in a square lattice of excitonic states, where a real-space renormalization method on effective chains has been used. The Hamiltonian parameters are determined by fitting the measured quantum efficiency spectra and the theoretical short-circuit currents without adjustable parameters show a good agreement with the experimental ones obtained from several polymer:fullerene and polymer:polymer heterojunctions. Moreover, the present study reveals the degree of polymerization and the true driving force at donor-acceptor interface in each analyzed organic photovoltaic device

Ballistic transport in aperiodic Labyrinth tiling proven through a new convolution theorem

In this article, we report a distinct convolution theorem developed for the Kubo-Greenwood formula in Labyrinth tiling by transforming the two-dimensional lattice into a set of independent chains with rescaled Hamiltonians. Such transformation leads to an analytical solution of the direct-current conductance spectra, where quantized steps with height of 2g0 are found in Labyrinth tiling with periodic order along the applied electric field direction, in contrast to the step height of g0 observed in the corresponding square lattices, being g0 the conductance quantum. When this convolution theorem is combined with the real-space renormalization method, we are able to address in non-perturbative way the electronic transport in macroscopic aperiodic Labyrinth tiling based on generalized Fibonacci chains. Furthermore, we analytically demonstrate the existence of ballistic transport states in aperiodic Labyrinth tiling. This finding suggests that the periodicity should not be a necessary condition for the single-electron ballistic transport even in multidimensional fully non-periodic lattices

p-wave superconductivity in a two-dimensional generalized Hubbard model

Abstract In this Letter, we consider a two-dimensional Hubbard model that includes a second-neighbor correlated hopping interaction, and we find a triplet p-wave superconducting ground state within the BCS formalism. A small distortion of the square-lattice right angles is introduced in order to break the degeneracy of k x ± k y oriented p-wave pairing states. For the strong coupling limit, analytical results are obtained. An analysis of the superconducting critical temperature reveals the existence of an optimal electron density and the gap ratio exhibits a non-BCS behavior. Finally, the particular case of strontium ruthenate is examined. 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 71.10.Fd; 74.20.Fg; 74.20.Rp; 74.7