3,502 research outputs found
Radiation effects on the electronic structure of bilayer graphene
We report on the effects of laser illumination on the electronic properties
of bilayer graphene. By using Floquet theory combined with Green's functions we
unveil the appeareance of laser-induced gaps not only at integer multiples of
but also at the Dirac point with features which are shown to
depend strongly on the laser polarization. Trigonal warping corrections are
shown to lead to important corrections for radiation in the THz range, reducing
the size of the dynamical gaps. Furthermore, our analysis of the topological
properties at low energies reveals that when irradiated with linearly polarized
light, ideal bilayer graphene behaves as a trivial insulator, whereas circular
polarization leads to a non-trivial insulator per valley.Comment: 5 pages 3 figure
Antiresonances as precursors of decoherence
We show that, in presence of a complex spectrum, antiresonances act as a
precursor for dephasing enabling the crossover to a fully decoherent transport
even within a unitary Hamiltonian description. This general scenario is
illustrated here by focusing on a quantum dot coupled to a chaotic cavity
containing a finite, but large, number of states using a Hamiltonian
formulation. For weak coupling to a chaotic cavity with a sufficiently dense
spectrum, the ensuing complex structure of resonances and antiresonances leads
to phase randomization under coarse graining in energy. Such phase
instabilities and coarse graining are the ingredients for a mechanism producing
decoherence and thus irreversibility. For the present simple model one finds a
conductance that coincides with the one obtained by adding a ficticious voltage
probe within the Landauer-Buettiker picture. This sheds new light on how the
microscopic mechanisms that produce phase fluctuations induce decoherence.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Europhys. Let
Crafting zero-bias one-way transport of charge and spin
We explore the electronic structure and transport properties of a metal on
top of a (weakly coupled) two-dimensional topological insulator. Unlike the
widely studied junctions between topological non-trivial materials, the systems
studied here allow for a unique bandstructure and transport steering. First,
states on the topological insulator layer may coexist with the gapless bulk
and, second, the edge states on one edge can be selectively switched-off,
thereby leading to nearly perfect directional transport of charge and spin even
in the zero bias limit. We illustrate these phenomena for Bernal stacked
bilayer graphene with Haldane or intrinsic spin-orbit terms and a perpendicular
bias voltage. This opens a path for realizing directed transport in materials
such as van der Waals heterostructures, monolayer and ultrathin topological
insulators.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Inelastic Quantum Transport and Peierls-like Mechanism in Carbon Nanotubes
We report on a theoretical study of inelastic quantum transport in
carbon nanotubes. By using a many-body description of the electron-phonon
interaction in Fock space, a novel mechanism involving optical phonon emission
(absorption) is shown to induce an unprecedented energy gap opening at half the
phonon energy, , above (below) the charge neutrality point.
This mechanism, which is prevented by Pauli blocking at low bias voltages, is
activated at bias voltages in the order of .Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Floquet topological transitions in a driven one-dimensional topological insulator
The Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model of polyacetylene is a paradigmatic Hamiltonian
exhibiting non-trivial edge states. By using Floquet theory we study how the
spectrum of this one-dimensional topological insulator is affected by a
time-dependent potential. In particular, we evidence the competition among
different photon-assisted processes and the native topology of the unperturbed
Hamiltonian to settle the resulting topology at different driving frequencies.
While some regions of the quasienergy spectrum develop new gaps hosting Floquet
edge states, the native gap can be dramatically reduced and the original edge
states may be destroyed or replaced by new Floquet edge states. Our study is
complemented by an analysis of Zak phase applied to the Floquet bands. Besides
serving as a simple example for understanding the physics of driven topological
phases, our results could find a promising test-ground in cold matter
experiments
Non-Hermitian robust edge states in one-dimension: Anomalous localization and eigenspace condensation at exceptional points
Capital to topological insulators, the bulk-boundary correspondence ties a
topological invariant computed from the bulk (extended) states with those at
the boundary, which are hence robust to disorder. Here we put forward an
ordering unique to non-Hermitian lattices, whereby a pristine system becomes
devoid of extended states, a property which turns out to be robust to disorder.
This is enabled by a peculiar type of non-Hermitian degeneracy where a
macroscopic fraction of the states coalesce at a single point with geometrical
multiplicity of , that we call a phenomenal point.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Primary mediastinal lymphoma: diagnosis and treatment options.
Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a unique B-cell lymphoma variant that arises from a putative thymic medulla B cell. It constitutes 2-4% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas and occurs most frequently in young females. PMBCL is characterized by a diffuse proliferation of medium-to-large B cells associated with sclerosis. Molecular analysis shows that PMBCL is a distinct entity compared to other types of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. PMBCL is characterized by a locally invasive anterior mediastinal bulky mass. The combination of rituximab with CHOP/CHOP-like regimens followed by mediastinal radiation therapy (RT) is associated with a 5-year progression-free survival of 75-85%. However, the role of consolidation RT still remains uncertain. More intensive regimens, such as DA-EPOCH-R without mediastinal RT, have shown very promising results. The conclusive role of PET-CT scan requires prospective studies and there is hope that this may allow to de-escalate RT and accordingly yield reliable prognostic information
Hierarchy of Floquet gaps and edge states for driven honeycomb lattices
Electromagnetic driving in a honeycomb lattice can induce gaps and
topological edge states with a structure of increasing complexity as the
frequency of the driving lowers. While the high frequency case is the most
simple to analyze we focus on the multiple photon processes allowed in the low
frequency regime to unveil the hierarchy of Floquet edge-states. In the case of
low intensities an analytical approach allows us to derive effective
Hamiltonians and address the topological character of each gap in a
constructive manner. At high intensities we obtain the net number of edge
states, given by the winding number, with a numerical calculation of the Chern
numbers of each Floquet band. Using these methods, we find a hierarchy that
resembles that of a Russian nesting doll. This hierarchy classifies the gaps
and the associated edge states in different orders according to the
electron-photon coupling strength. For large driving intensities, we rely on
the numerical calculation of the winding number, illustrated in a map of
topological phase transitions. The hierarchy unveiled with the low energy
effective Hamiltonians, alongside with the map of topological phase transitions
discloses the complexity of the Floquet band structure in the low frequency
regime. The proposed method for obtaining the effective Hamiltonian can be
easily adapted to other Dirac Hamiltonians of two dimensional materials and
even the surface of a 3D topological insulator.Comment: Phys. Rev. A 91, 04362
Spin interference and Fano effect in electron transport through a mesoscopic ring side-coupled with a quantum dot
We investigate the electron transport through a mesoscopic ring side-coupled
with a quantum dot(QD) in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit(SO) interaction. It
is shown that both the Fano resonance and the spin interference effects play
important roles in the electron transport properties. As the QD level is around
the Fermi energy, the total conductance shows typical Fano resonance line
shape. By applying an electrical gate voltage to the QD, the total transmission
through the system can be strongly modulated. By threading the mesoscopic ring
with a magnetic flux, the time-reversal symmetry of the system is broken, and a
spin polarized current can be obtained even though the incident current is
unpolarized.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Enhancing single-parameter quantum charge pumping in carbon-based devices
We present a theoretical study of quantum charge pumping with a single ac
gate applied to graphene nanoribbons and carbon nanotubes operating with low
resistance contacts. By combining Floquet theory with Green's function
formalism, we show that the pumped current can be tuned and enhanced by up to
two orders of magnitude by an appropriate choice of device length, gate voltage
intensity and driving frequency and amplitude. These results offer a promising
alternative for enhancing the pumped currents in these carbon-based devices.Comment: 3.5 pages, 2 figure
- …