1,555 research outputs found

    Interlayer interaction and electronic screening in multilayer graphene

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    The unusual transport properties of graphene are the direct consequence of a peculiar bandstructure near the Dirac point. We determine the shape of the pi bands and their characteristic splitting, and the transition from a pure 2D to quasi-2D behavior for 1 to 4 layers of graphene by angle-resolved photoemission. By exploiting the sensitivity of the pi bands to the electronic potential, we derive the layer-dependent carrier concentration, screening length and strength of interlayer interaction by comparison with tight binding calculations, yielding a comprehensive description of multilayer graphene's electronic structure

    Strictly One-Dimensional Electron System in Au Chains on Ge(001) Revealed By Photoelectron K-Space Mapping

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    Atomic nanowires formed by Au on Ge(001) are scrutinized for the band topology of the conduction electron system by k-resolved photoemission. Two metallic electron pockets are observed. Their Fermi surface sheets form straight lines without undulations perpendicular to the chains within experimental uncertainty. The electrons hence emerge as strictly confined to one dimension. Moreover, the system is stable against a Peierls distortion down to 10 K, lending itself for studies of the spectral function. Indications for unusually low spectral weight at the chemical potential are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures - revised version with added Fig. 2e) and additional reference

    Dirac dispersion and non-trivial Berry's phase in three-dimensional semimetal RhSb3

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    We report observations of magnetoresistance, quantum oscillations and angle-resolved photoemission in RhSb3_3, a unfilled skutterudite semimetal with low carrier density. The calculated electronic band structure of RhSb3_3 entails a Z2Z_2 quantum number ν0=0,ν1=ν2=ν3=1\nu_0=0,\nu_1=\nu_2=\nu_3=1 in analogy to strong topological insulators, and inverted linear valence/conduction bands that touch at discrete points close to the Fermi level, in agreement with angle-resolved photoemission results. Transport experiments reveal an unsaturated linear magnetoresistance that approaches a factor of 200 at 60 T magnetic fields, and quantum oscillations observable up to 150~K that are consistent with a large Fermi velocity (1.3×106\sim 1.3\times 10^6 ms1^{-1}), high carrier mobility (14\sim 14 m2m^2/Vs), and small three dimensional hole pockets with nontrivial Berry phase. A very small, sample-dependent effective mass that falls as low as 0.015(7)0.015(7) bare masses scales with Fermi velocity, suggesting RhSb3_3 is a new class of zero-gap three-dimensional Dirac semimetal.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

    Self-spreading of the wetting ridge during stick-slip on a viscoelastic surface

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    Dynamic wetting behaviors on soft solids are important to interpret complex biological processes from cell-substrate interactions. Despite intensive research studies over the past half-century, the underlying mechanisms of spreading behaviors are not clearly understood. The most interesting feature of wetting on soft matter is the formation of a "wetting ridge'', a surface deformation by a competition between elasticity and capillarity. Dynamics of the wetting ridge formed at the three-phase contact line underlies the dynamic wetting behaviors, but remains largely unexplored mostly due to limitations in indirect observation. Here, we directly visualize wetting ridge dynamics during continuous-and stick-slip motions on a viscoelastic surface using X-ray microscopy. Strikingly, we discover that the ridge spreads spontaneously during stick and triggers contact line depinning (stick-to-slip transition) by changing the ridge geometry which weakens the contact line pinning. Finally, we clarify 'viscoelastic-braking', 'stick-slipping', and 'stick-breaking' spreading behaviors through the ridge dynamics. In stick-breaking, no ridge-spreading occurs and contact line pinning (hysteresis) is enhanced by cusp-bending while preserving a microscopic equilibrium at the ridge tip. We have furthered the understanding of spreading behaviors on soft solids and demonstrated the value of X-ray microscopy in elucidating various dynamic wetting behaviors on soft solids as well as puzzling biological issues.114Ysciescopu

    Tunable Polaronic Conduction in Anatase TiO2

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    Oxygen vacancies created in anatase TiO2 by UV photons (80–130 eV) provide an effective electron-doping mechanism and induce a hitherto unobserved dispersive metallic state. Angle resolved photoemission reveals that the quasiparticles are large polarons. These results indicate that anatase can be tuned from an insulator to a polaron gas to a weakly correlated metal as a function of doping and clarify the nature of conductivity in this material.open1192sciescopu

    Intrinsic Insulating Ground State in Transition Metal Dichalcogenide TiSe2

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    The transition metal dichalcogenide TiSe2_2 has received significant research attention over the past four decades. Different studies have presented ways to suppress the 200~K charge density wave transition, vary low temperature resistivity by several orders of magnitude, and stabilize magnetism or superconductivity. Here we give the results of a new synthesis technique whereby samples were grown in a high pressure environment with up to 180~bar of argon gas. Above 100~K, properties are nearly unchanged from previous reports, but a hysteretic resistance region that begins around 80~K, accompanied by insulating low temperature behavior, is distinct from anything previously observed. An accompanying decrease in carrier concentration is seen in Hall effect measurements, and photoemission data show a removal of an electron pocket from the Fermi surface in an insulating sample. We conclude that high inert gas pressure synthesis accesses an underlying nonmetallic ground state in a material long speculated to be an excitonic insulator.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
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