1,284 research outputs found
Energy levels of few electron quantum dots imaged and characterized by atomic force microscopy
Strong confinement of charges in few electron systems such as in atoms,
molecules and quantum dots leads to a spectrum of discrete energy levels that
are often shared by several degenerate quantum states. Since the electronic
structure is key to understanding their chemical properties, methods that probe
these energy levels in situ are important. We show how electrostatic force
detection using atomic force microscopy reveals the electronic structure of
individual and coupled self-assembled quantum dots. An electron addition
spectrum in the Coulomb blockade regime, resulting from a change in cantilever
resonance frequency and dissipation during tunneling events, shows one by one
electron charging of a dot. The spectra show clear level degeneracies in
isolated quantum dots, supported by the first observation of predicted
temperature-dependent shifts of Coulomb blockade peaks. Further, by scanning
the surface we observe that several quantum dots may reside on what
topologically appears to be just one. These images of grouped weakly and
strongly coupled dots allow us to estimate their relative coupling strengths.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Molecular Motor Constructed from a Double-Walled Carbon Nanotube Driven by Axially Varying Voltage
A new molecular motor is conceptually constructed from a double-walled carbon
nanotube (DWNT) consisting of a long inner single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)
and a short outer SWNT with different chirality. The interaction between inner
and outer tubes is the sum of the Lennard-Jones potentials between carbon atoms
in inner tube and those in outer one. Within the framework of
Smoluchowski-Feynman ratchet, it is theoretically shown that this system in an
isothermal bath will exhibit a unidirectional rotation in the presence of a
varying axial electrical voltage.Comment: 11 pages + 3 figure
Fluctuating-friction molecular motors
We show that the correlated stochastic fluctuation of the friction
coefficient can give rise to long-range directional motion of a particle
undergoing Brownian random walk in a constant periodic energy potential
landscape. The occurrence of this motion requires the presence of two
additional independent bodies interacting with the particle via friction and
via the energy potential, respectively, which can move relative to each other.
Such three-body system generalizes the classical Brownian ratchet mechanism,
which requires only two interacting bodies. In particular, we describe a simple
two-level model of fluctuating-friction molecular motor that can be solved
analytically. In our previous work [M.K., L.M and D.P. 2000 J. Nonlinear Opt.
Phys. Mater. vol. 9, 157] this model has been first applied to understanding
the fundamental mechanism of the photoinduced reorientation of dye-doped liquid
crystals. Applications of the same idea to other fields such as molecular
biology and nanotechnology can however be envisioned. As an example, in this
paper we work out a model of the actomyosin system based on the
fluctuating-friction mechanism.Comment: to be published in J. Physics Condensed Matter
(http://www.iop.org/Journals/JPhysCM
Resonant Photon-Assisted Tunneling Through a Double Quantum Dot: An Electron Pump From Spatial Rabi Oscillations
The time average of the fully nonlinear current through a double quantum dot,
subject to an arbitrary combination of ac and dc voltages, is calculated
exactly using the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green function technique. When driven
on resonance, the system functions as an efficient electron pump due to Rabi
oscillation between the dots. The pumping current is maximum when the coupling
to the leads equals the Rabi frequency.Comment: 6 pages, REVTEX 3.0, 3 postscript figure
Spin-polarized electric currents in diluted magnetic semiconductor heterostructures induced by terahertz and microwave radiation
We report on the study of spin-polarized electric currents in diluted
magnetic semiconductor (DMS) quantum wells subjected to an in-plane external
magnetic field and illuminated by microwave or terahertz radiation. The effect
is studied in (Cd,Mn)Te/(Cd,Mg)Te quantum wells (QWs) and (In,Ga)As/InAlAs:Mn
QWs belonging to the well known II-VI and III-V DMS material systems, as well
as, in heterovalent AlSb/InAs/(Zn,Mn)Te QWs which represent a promising
combination of II-VI and III-V semiconductors. Experimental data and developed
theory demonstrate that the photocurrent originates from a spin-dependent
scattering of free carriers by static defects or phonons in the Drude
absorption of radiation and subsequent relaxation of carriers. We show that in
DMS structures the efficiency of the current generation is drastically enhanced
compared to non-magnetic semiconductors. The enhancement is caused by the
exchange interaction of carrier spins with localized spins of magnetic ions
resulting, on the one hand, in the giant Zeeman spin-splitting, and, on the
other hand, in the spin-dependent carrier scattering by localized Mn2+ ions
polarized by an external magnetic field.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure
Magnetoplasmon excitations in an array of periodically modulated quantum wires
Motivated by the recent experiment of Hochgraefe et al., we have investigated
the magnetoplasmon excitations in a periodic array of quantum wires with a
periodic modulation along the wire direction. The equilibrium and dynamic
properties of the system are treated self-consistently within the
Thomas-Fermi-Dirac-von Weizsaecker approximation. A calculation of the
dynamical response of the system to a far-infrared radiation field reveals a
resonant anticrossing between the Kohn mode and a finite-wavevector
longitudinal excitation which is induced by the density modulation along the
wires. Our theoretical calculations are found to be in excellent agreement with
experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Terahertz radiation driven chiral edge currents in graphene
We observe photocurrents induced in single layer graphene samples by
illumination of the graphene edges with circularly polarized terahertz
radiation at normal incidence. The photocurrent flows along the sample edges
and forms a vortex. Its winding direction reverses by switching the light
helicity from left- to right-handed. We demonstrate that the photocurrent stems
from the sample edges, which reduce the spatial symmetry and result in an
asymmetric scattering of carriers driven by the radiation electric field. The
developed theory is in a good agreement with the experiment. We show that the
edge photocurrents can be applied for determination of the conductivity type
and the momentum scattering time of the charge carriers in the graphene edge
vicinity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure, additional Supplemental Material (3 pages, 1
figure
Molecular Motor of Double-Walled Carbon Nanotube Driven by Temperature Variation
An elegant formula for coordinates of carbon atoms in a unit cell of a
single-walled nanotube (SWNT) is presented and a new molecular motor of
double-walled carbon nanotube whose inner tube is a long (8,4) SWNT and outer
tube a short (14,8) SWNT is constructed. The interaction between inner an outer
tubes is analytically derived by summing the Lennard-Jones potentials between
atoms in inner and outer tubes. It is proved that the molecular motor in a
thermal bath exhibits a directional motion with the temperature variation of
the bath.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, revtex
Far-infrared absorption in parallel quantum wires with weak tunneling
We study collective and single-particle intersubband excitations in a system
of quantum wires coupled via weak tunneling. For an isolated wire with
parabolic confinement, the Kohn's theorem guarantees that the absorption
spectrum represents a single sharp peak centered at the frequency given by the
bare confining potential. We show that the effect of weak tunneling between two
parabolic quantum wires is twofold: (i) additional peaks corresponding to
single-particle excitations appear in the absorption spectrum, and (ii) the
main absorption peak acquires a depolarization shift. We also show that the
interplay between tunneling and weak perpendicular magnetic field drastically
enhances the dispersion of single-particle excitations. The latter leads to a
strong damping of the intersubband plasmon for magnetic fields exceeding a
critical value.Comment: 18 pages + 6 postcript figure
Theoretical interpretation of the experimental electronic structure of lens shaped, self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots
We adopt an atomistic pseudopotential description of the electronic structure
of self-assembled, lens shaped InAs quantum dots within the ``linear
combination of bulk bands'' method. We present a detailed comparison with
experiment, including quantites such as the single particle electron and hole
energy level spacings, the excitonic band gap, the electron-electron, hole-hole
and electron hole Coulomb energies and the optical polarization anisotropy. We
find a generally good agreement, which is improved even further for a dot
composition where some Ga has diffused into the dots.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
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