311 research outputs found
Differential reflection spectroscopy on InAs/GaAs quantum dots
In this report, we present the derivation of the differential reflection
spectrum as has been reported in \emph{Phys. Rev. B} \textbf{72}, 195301
(2005)
Spin-state transition in LaCoO3: direct neutron spectroscopic evidence of excited magnetic states
A gradual spin-state transition occurs in LaCoO3 around T~80-120 K, whose
detailed nature remains controversial. We studied this transition by means of
inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and found that with increasing temperature
an excitation at ~0.6 meV appears, whose intensity increases with temperature,
following the bulk magnetization. Within a model including crystal field
interaction and spin-orbit coupling we interpret this excitation as originating
from a transition between thermally excited states located about 120 K above
the ground state. We further discuss the nature of the magnetic excited state
in terms of intermediate-spin (IS, S=1) vs. high-spin (HS, S=2) states. Since
the g-factor obtained from the field dependence of the INS is g~3, the second
interpretation looks more plausible.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Mott-Hubbard exciton in the optical conductivity of YTiO3 and SmTiO3
In the Mott-Hubbard insulators YTiO3 and SmTiO3 we study optical excitations
from the lower to the upper Hubbard band, d^1d^1 -> d^0d^2. The multi-peak
structure observed in the optical conductivity reflects the multiplet structure
of the upper Hubbard band in a multi-orbital system. Absorption bands at 2.55
and 4.15 eV in the ferromagnet YTiO3 correspond to final states with a triplet
d^2 configuration, whereas a peak at 3.7 eV in the antiferromagnet SmTiO3 is
attributed to a singlet d^2 final state. A strongly temperature-dependent peak
at 1.95 eV in YTiO3 and 1.8 eV in SmTiO3 is interpreted in terms of a Hubbard
exciton, i.e., a charge-neutral (quasi-)bound state of a hole in the lower
Hubbard band and a double occupancy in the upper one. The binding to such a
Hubbard exciton may arise both due to Coulomb attraction between
nearest-neighbor sites and due to a lowering of the kinetic energy in a system
with magnetic and/or orbital correlations. Furthermore, we observe anomalies of
the spectral weight in the vicinity of the magnetic ordering transitions, both
in YTiO3 and SmTiO3. In the G-type antiferromagnet SmTiO3, the sign of the
change of the spectral weight at T_N depends on the polarization. This
demonstrates that the temperature dependence of the spectral weight is not
dominated by the spin-spin correlations, but rather reflects small changes of
the orbital occupation.Comment: Strongly extended version; new data of SmTiO3 included; detailed
discussion of temperature dependence include
Ultrafast Carrier Capture in Quantum Well Structures
We present an experimental and theoretical study of the carrier capture time into a semiconductor quantum well. The carrier capture time was obtained by measuring both the rise of the quantum well (QW) population using time-resolved luminescence measurements and the decay of the barrier population using pump-probe correlation experiments. In the first technique, we compare the QW rise-times after direct (below the barrier band gap) and indirect (above the barrier band gap) excitation in order to eliminate the effects of relaxation and exciton formation in the quantum well.
We report the first experimental observation of oscillations in the carrier capture time between 3 and 20 ps as a function of quantum well thickness, obtained from both techniques. The observed capture times are, for the first time, in agreement with theoretical predictions from an ambipolar capture model
Zero-field incommensurate spin-Peierls phase with interchain frustration in TiOCl
We report on the magnetic, thermodynamic and optical properties of the
quasi-one-dimensional quantum antiferromagnets TiOCl and TiOBr, which have been
discussed as spin-Peierls compounds. The observed deviations from canonical
spin-Peierls behavior, e.g. the existence of two distinct phase transitions,
have been attributed previously to strong orbital fluctuations. This can be
ruled out by our optical data of the orbital excitations. We show that the
frustration of the interchain interactions in the bilayer structure gives rise
to incommensurate order with a subsequent lock-in transition to a commensurate
dimerized state. In this way, a single driving force, the spin-Peierls
mechanism, induces two separate transitions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Quantitative determination of bond order and lattice distortions in nickel oxide heterostructures by resonant x-ray scattering
We present a combined study of Ni -edge resonant x-ray scattering and
density functional calculations to probe and distinguish electronically driven
ordering and lattice distortions in nickelate heterostructures. We demonstrate
that due to the low crystal symmetry, contributions from structural distortions
can contribute significantly to the energy-dependent Bragg peak intensities of
a bond-ordered NdNiO reference film. For a LaNiO-LaAlO superlattice
that exhibits magnetic order, we establish a rigorous upper bound on the
bond-order parameter. We thus conclusively confirm predictions of a dominant
spin density wave order parameter in metallic nickelates with a
quasi-two-dimensional electronic structure
Direct observation of t2g orbital ordering in magnetite
Using soft-x-ray diffraction at the site-specific resonances in the Fe L23
edge, we find clear evidence for orbital and charge ordering in magnetite below
the Verwey transition. The spectra show directly that the (001/2) diffraction
peak (in cubic notation) is caused by t2g orbital ordering at octahedral Fe2+
sites and the (001) by a spatial modulation of the t2g occupation.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
CeRuSn: a strongly correlated material with nontrivial topology
Topological insulators form a novel state of matter that provides new
opportunities to create unique quantum phenomena. While the materials used so
far are based on semiconductors, recent theoretical studies predict that also
strongly correlated systems can show non-trivial topological properties,
thereby allowing even the emergence of surface phenomena that are not possible
with topological band insulators. From a practical point of view, it is also
expected that strong correlations will reduce the disturbing impact of defects
or impurities, and at the same increase the Fermi velocities of the topological
surface states. The challenge is now to discover such correlated materials.
Here, using advanced x-ray spectroscopies in combination with band structure
calculations, we infer that CeRuSn is a strongly correlated material
with non-trivial topology.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Scientific Report
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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