14,355 research outputs found
Well-localized edge states in two-dimensional topological insulators: ultrathin Bi films
We theoretically study the generic behavior of the penetration depth of the
edge states in two-dimensional quantum spin Hall systems. We found that the
momentum-space width of the edge-state dispersion scales with the inverse of
the penetration depth. As an example of well-localized edge states, we take the
Bi(111) ultrathin film. Its edge states are found to extend almost over the
whole Brillouin zone. Correspondingly, the bismuth (111) 1-bilayer system is
proposed to have well-localized edge states in contrast to the HgTe quantum
well.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Decoherence in Phase Space
Much of the discussion of decoherence has been in terms of a particle moving
in one dimension that is placed in an initial superposition state (a
Schr\"{o}dinger "cat" state) corresponding to two widely separated wave
packets. Decoherence refers to the destruction of the interference term in the
quantum probability function. Here, we stress that a quantitative measure of
decoherence depends not only on the specific system being studied but also on
whether one is considering coordinate, momentum or phase space. We show that
this is best illustrated by considering Wigner phase space where the measure is
again different. Analytic results for the time development of the Wigner
distribution function for a two-Gaussian Schrodinger "cat" state have been
obtained in the high-temperature limit (where decoherence can occur even for
negligible dissipation) which facilitates a simple demonstration of our
remarks.Comment: in press in Laser Phys.13(2003
Spin symmetry and spin current of helicity eigenstates of the Luttinger Hamiltonian
A general spin symmetry argument is proposed for spin currents in
semiconductors. In particular, due to the symmetry with respect to spin
polarization of the helicity eigenstates of the Luttinger Hamiltonian for a
hole-doped semiconductor, the spin polarized flux from a single helicity
eigenstate induced by an external electric field, is canceled exactly when all
such contributions from eigenstates that are degenerate in energy are summed.
Thus, the net spin current predicted by Murakami et al, Science 301, 1348
(2003), cannot be produced by such a Hamiltonian. Possible symmetry breaking
mechanisms which may generate a spin current are discussed
Topological superconductivity in bilayer Rashba system
We theoretically study a possible topological superconductivity in the
interacting two layers of Rashba systems, which can be fabricated by the
hetero-structures of semiconductors and oxides. The hybridization, which
induces the gap in the single particle dispersion, and the electron-electron
interaction between the two layers leads to the novel phase diagram of the
superconductivity. It is found that the topological superconductivity {\it
without breaking time-reversal symmetry} is realized when (i) the Fermi energy
is within the hybridization gap, and (ii) the inter-layer interaction is
repulsive, both of which can be satisfied in realistic systems. Edge channels
are studied in a tight-binding model numerically, and the several predictions
on experiments are also given.Comment: 5 page
Decoherence without dissipation?
In a recent article, Ford, Lewis and O'Connell (PRA 64, 032101 (2001))
discuss a thought experiment in which a Brownian particle is subjected to a
double-slit measurement. Analyzing the decay of the emerging interference
pattern, they derive a decoherence rate that is much faster than previous
results and even persists in the limit of vanishing dissipation. This result is
based on the definition of a certain attenuation factor, which they analyze for
short times. In this note, we point out that this attenuation factor captures
the physics of decoherence only for times larger than a certain time t_mix,
which is the time it takes until the two emerging wave packets begin to
overlap. Therefore, the strategy of Ford et al of extracting the decoherence
time from the regime t < t_mix is in our opinion not meaningful. If one
analyzes the attenuation factor for t > t_mix, one recovers familiar behaviour
for the decoherence time; in particular, no decoherence is seen in the absence
of dissipation. The latter conclusion is confirmed with a simple calculation of
the off-diagonal elements of the reduced density matrix.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Intrinsic spin Hall effect in platinum metal
Spin Hall effect in metallic Pt is studied with first-principles relativistic
band calculations. It is found that intrinsic spin Hall conductivity (SHC) is
as large as at low temperature, and
decreases down to at room
temperature. It is due to the resonant contribution from the spin-orbit
splitting of the doubly degenerated -bands at high-symmetry and
points near the Fermi level. By modeling these near degeneracies by effective
Hamiltonian, we show that SHC has a peak near the Fermi energy and that the
vertex correction due to impurity scattering vanishes. We therefore argue that
the large spin Hall effect observed experimentally in platinum is of intrinsic
nature.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let
Non-Commutative Tools for Topological Insulators
This paper reviews several analytic tools for the field of topological
insulators, developed with the aid of non-commutative calculus and geometry.
The set of tools includes bulk topological invariants defined directly in the
thermodynamic limit and in the presence of disorder, whose robustness is shown
to have non-trivial physical consequences for the bulk states. The set of tools
also includes a general relation between the current of an observable and its
edge index, relation that can be used to investigate the robustness of the edge
states against disorder. The paper focuses on the motivations behind creating
such tools and on how to use them.Comment: Final version (some arguments were corrected
Generating high-order optical and spin harmonics from ferromagnetic monolayers
High-order harmonic generation (HHG) in solids has entered a new phase of
intensive research, with envisioned band-structure mapping on an ultrashort
time scale. This partly benefits from a flurry of new HHG materials discovered,
but so far has missed an important group. HHG in magnetic materials should have
profound impact on future magnetic storage technology advances. Here we
introduce and demonstrate HHG in ferromagnetic monolayers. We find that HHG
carries spin information and sensitively depends on the relativistic spin-orbit
coupling; and if they are dispersed into the crystal momentum space,
harmonics originating from real transitions can be -resolved and carry
the band structure information. Geometrically, the HHG signal is sensitive to
spatial orientations of monolayers. Different from the optical counterpart, the
spin HHG, though probably weak, only appears at even orders, a consequence of
SU(2) symmetry. Our findings open an unexplored frontier -- magneto-high-order
harmonic generation.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure
Fracture mechanics approach to design analysis of notches, steps and internal cut-outs in planar components
A new approach to the assessment and optimization of geometric stress-concentrating features is proposed on the basis of the correspondence between sharp crack or corner stressfield intensity factors and conventional elastic stress concentration factors (SCFs) for radiused transitions. This approach complements the application of finite element analysis (FEA) and the use of standard SCF data from the literature. The method makes it possible to develop closed-form solutions for SCFs in cases where corresponding solutions for the sharp crack geometries exist. This is helpful in the context of design optimization. The analytical basis of the correspondence is shown, together with the limits on applicability where stress-free boundaries near the stress concentrating feature are present or adjacent features interact. Examples are given which compare parametric results derived from FEA with closed-form solutions based on the proposed method. New information is given on the stress state at a 90° corner or width step, where the magnitude of the stress field intensity is related to that of the corresponding crack geometry. This correspondence enables the user to extend further the application of crack-tip stress-field intensity information to square-cornered steps, external U-grooves, and internal cut-outs
Anisotropic Decay Dynamics of Photoexcited Aligned Carbon Nanotube Bundles
We have performed polarization-dependent ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy of
a film of aligned single-walled carbon nanotube bundles. By taking into account
imperfect nanotube alignment as well as anisotropic absorption cross sections,
we quantitatively determined distinctly different photo-bleaching dynamics for
polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the tube axis. For perpendicular
polarization, we observe a slow (1.0-1.5 ps) relaxation process, previously
unobserved in randomly-oriented nanotube bundles. We attribute this slower
dynamics to the excitation and relaxation of surface plasmons in the radial
direction of the nanotube bundles.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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